CHICAGO — Former George County High baseball standout Justin Steele made some history Sunday afternoon without even taking the field.
Steele, a current member of the Chicago Cubs starting rotation, was named to the pitching staff for the National League team for the upcoming Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 11th in Seattle.
It marks the first time in the history of the prestigious contest that a graduate of George County High School was selected to be a part of it.
Steele overcame some injury issues early in his career to become one of the top starting pitchers this season in the Majors.
“No doubt it’s something the people of Lucedale and George County can be proud of,” Bruce Thronton, longtime coach at GCHS and a citizen of Lucedale for over four decades, said. Thornton also serves as the Sports Director at WRBE (FM—106.9) radio that covers George County High sports exclusively and extensively. “He’s just been such a positive figure for the community and school. It’s a proud moment for us all.”
The 28-year-old Steele was informed with the rest of the Cubs players of his selection to the team Sunday afternoon after their game vs. the Cleveland Guardians.
Steele leads the NL in ERA (2.43), and he left a lasting impression on the selection committee with his latest outing in a win over Cleveland on Friday afternoon.
The southpaw hurled just over six stanzas of scoreless frames Friday in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, leading the Cubs to a 10-1 win over the Guardians and snapping Chicago’s four-game losing streak.
George County head baseball coach Brandon Davis coached Steele throughout his four seasons with the Rebels and keeps in constant contact with him.
“I was actually supposed to go to Friday’s game but it was my 22nd wedding anniversary,’ Davis said. “I stay in touch with all of my guys that are still playing, and I text Justin just after I heard the news and congratulated him.
“We couldn’t be more proud of him, and in addition to being such an outstanding player, he’s an even better person that comes from just a great family. He’s so grounded in who he is and where he comes from and when he’s home he always comes to help out with the team,” Davis added.
Friday’s outing was Steele’s latest strong performance in a long line of successful starts dating back to last season. For the past calendar year, he has a 1.99 ERA in 122 innings across 22 starts. That stat marks the lowest ERA in MLB over that span among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched.
“I thought he was as advertised,” Guardians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com. “His fastball’s got really good life.”
“He’s a horse, man,” Cubs manager David Ross told MLB.com. “Every time he takes the bump, he feels like a guy [that] it’s Win Day. He loves to take the ball. He’s been really good, man. He’s turned into an ace, is what I think he is. He’s proven it.”
This season, the Cubs are 9-6 when Steele pitches, and he stands 9-2 overall. According to MLB stats, he entered Friday with a 2.4 fWAR which is seventh among all starting pitchers and third in the National League, despite missing two starts this month due to a forearm strain.
“It’s pretty incredible for him to earn this accomplishment,” Davis concluded. “It has to be right up there as one of the highest honors ever to be achieved in this county to be the first player ever to graduate high school here and selected to play in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It’s a dream come true for him I’m sure. And it’s well deserved because he’s earned every honor coming to him, and I don’t think this will be the last.”
