Author Topic: Cubs in '20  (Read 49119 times)

craig

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13097
Re: Cubs in '20
« Reply #2685 on: August 05, 2020, 11:22:26 am »
Steele, from what I’ve read, can throw strikes but his issue is command inside the strike zone.  Last year he was coming off TJS and he walk more guys, but in 2018 he was doing 5-8% walk percentages at various levels.

He has high spin and throws 92-95 as a starter so the velocity might tick up some too. The prospects guy for Bleacher Nation tweeted that he added a 2700-3000 rpm slider to his curve as well.

Thanks.  yeah, I get the sense that his velocity, stuff, and spin rate is major league, and when he's at his best he's got a chance to be good.  You are right, that his walk-rate was respectable for his earlier minor-league career.  A caution there is that you can get by on control without command in the low minors.  And that it's probably harder to throw strikes when your fastball velocity increases some; and it's probably harder to throw strikes with your breaking stuff as you add more pitches and permutations, and as you jack up the spin and the break on them. 

Hopefully he'll be a delight, and will have legit stuff with reasonable control and command.  And that last year's wildman was kind of a post-surg thing and will not be more predictive moving forward than his earlier walk rates. 

I saw one of Steele's outings in spring training.  It was just one inning, and obviously guys often aren't even close to locked in early in March before camps closes.  But he looked super wild in that one.  His fastball was all over the place.  IN that single glimpse, his fastball command was horrific.  I think within that game and either the previous or subsequent day, Steele, Maples, and Brothers all pitched... and on that one viewing, Steele looked significantly wilder than either Maples or Brothers. 

Again, it was one glimpse in early March, and he may have been overthrowing to try to impress with velocity.  But I think there's a risk that he might have some wildman challenges.