Justin Steele Bio
Justin Carl Steele is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born in Lucedale, Mississippi, Steele has spent his entire MLB career with the Chicago Cubs after working his way through the organization as a fifth-round draft pick in 2014. He is a left-handed starter who was named an MLB All-Star in 2023 and remains a key member of the Cubs pitching staff.
Standing out for his command, pitch mix, and competitive demeanor, Justin Carl Steele developed into one of the most reliable starters in the National League. He is also the host of the Barstool Sports podcast “Steele the Show.”
Early Life and Background
Justin Carl Steele was born on July 11, 1995, in Lucedale, Mississippi, and was raised in the nearby community of Agricola. He is the son of Ben Steele and Nicki Clark. Steele grew up alongside his older brother, Jordan, and the two brothers spent much of their childhood practicing baseball together in their family backyard. The athletic environment in the Steele household played a meaningful role in shaping his early love for the game.
Steele comes from a deeply athletic family. His father, Ben Steele, played college football at the University of Alabama, and his grandfather played college basketball at the University of Southern Mississippi. His older brother, Jordan, was a pitcher at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, continuing the family’s connection to competitive sports.
Steele attended George County High School, where his baseball career began to attract national attention. During his sophomore year, while rehabilitating a lower back injury, his fastball velocity climbed to around 90 mph, drawing the attention of scouts and recruiters. As a junior in 2013, he posted a 7-3 win-loss record and a 1.94 earned run average (ERA) with 98 strikeouts in 61 and one-third innings pitched. He also batted .326 with three home runs and 23 runs batted in (RBI) while playing outfield and designated hitter. As a senior, he went 5-1 with a 0.98 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 43 innings, including two no-hitters.
Path to Professional Baseball
Coming out of high school, Justin Carl Steele had committed to play college baseball at the University of Southern Mississippi, but his performance in 2013 and 2014 convinced the Chicago Cubs to select him in the fifth round, 139th overall, in the 2014 MLB draft. He joined the Cubs on a $1 million signing bonus and began his professional career that same year.
Steele made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Cubs, where he posted a 2.89 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 18 and two-thirds innings during the 2014 season. In 2015, he made 10 starts for the Low-A Eugene Emeralds, going 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 40 and two-thirds innings. The next year, he was promoted to the Single-A South Bend Cubs of the Midwest League, where he struggled early before being sent back to Eugene in June. He finished 2016 with a 5-7 record, a 5.00 ERA, and 76 strikeouts across 19 starts.
Justin Steele Career
Minor League Development (2014-2020)
Steele started 2017 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, posting a 6-7 record and a 2.92 ERA in 20 starts before his season was cut short in August by an injury that required Tommy John surgery. He spent much of 2018 returning from the procedure, pitching for the AZL Cubs, Myrtle Beach, and the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, combining to go 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 starts. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League, and the Cubs added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Steele returned to the Tennessee Smokies in 2019 but struggled, going 0-6 with a 5.59 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 11 starts. He did not appear in a game in 2020 after the minor league season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, although he was briefly promoted to the major leagues for the first time on August 2, 2020, before being optioned back down on August 6 without appearing in a game.
Chicago Cubs (2021-Present)
Steele was promoted to the majors again on April 12, 2021, and made his MLB debut that night against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out the first batter he faced, Daniel Robertson. He finished his rookie season with a 4-4 record, 59 strikeouts, and a 4.26 ERA across his appearances.
In 2022, Justin Carl Steele made 24 starts, going 4-7 with a 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts. After the All-Star break, he was outstanding, posting a 0.98 ERA with 49 strikeouts in seven starts before a back injury ended his season.
The 2023 season marked Steele’s breakthrough year. He went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 176 strikeouts over 30 starts, and on September 4, he recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts while earning his 16th win in a 5-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants. That season, he was selected as an All-Star and finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
On March 9, 2024, Steele was named the Opening Day starter for the Cubs, a significant sign of his standing within the organization. He exited that start with an injury and was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 30 with a left hamstring strain before being activated on May 6. He continued making his regular starts until September 2, when he was scratched because of elbow soreness. An MRI on September 3 revealed left elbow inflammation, and he was placed on the injured list on September 4 with left elbow tendinitis.
Steele began the 2025 season in Chicago’s rotation, going 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 22 and two-thirds innings over four starts. On April 13, 2025, the Cubs announced that he would require season-ending surgery on his left elbow. The procedure was later specified as a revision repair of his left ulnar collateral ligament, performed on April 19, 2025.
Pitching Style and Strengths
Justin Carl Steele is a left-handed pitcher who works with a five-pitch mix, but he leans heavily on a cut four-seam fastball around 89-92 mph and a slider at 81-84 mph. Together, those two pitches make up about 87 percent of the pitches he throws, and in his 2023 All-Star season, he relied on the four-seam fastball and slider 96.6 percent of the time. He also occasionally throws a sinker, a changeup, and a curveball, and he throws from a 45-degree arm angle. His spin rates and seam movement make it difficult for hitters to barrel his pitches, allowing him to succeed at the major league level without elite fastball velocity.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Justin Carl Steele’s career are his MLB debut strikeout of Daniel Robertson in 2021, his career-high 12 strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants in September 2023, and his selection as an All-Star the same year. He was also named the Cubs’ Opening Day starter for 2024, marking the first time he received that responsibility in the major leagues.
Justin Steele Family
Family Background and Athletic Lineage
Steele was raised by his father, Ben Steele, and his mother, Nicki Clark, in Agricola, Mississippi, near his birthplace of Lucedale. His father played college football at Alabama, his grandfather played college basketball at Southern Miss, and his older brother, Jordan, pitched at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. This family background helped foster a competitive, sports-driven environment in which Justin Carl Steele developed his love for baseball.
Personal Life
Justin Carl Steele proposed to his girlfriend, Libby Murphy, in 2022. The couple share one son, who was born in July 2022. Outside of baseball, Steele hosts a podcast on the Barstool Sports network titled “Steele the Show.”
2025 Season Performance
Justin Carl Steele opened the 2025 season as a member of Chicago’s starting rotation, going 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 22 and two-thirds innings in his first four starts. His promising start was cut short on April 13, when the Cubs announced that he would require season-ending surgery on his left elbow, later specified as a revision repair of his ulnar collateral ligament on April 19.
The injury effectively ended Steele’s 2025 campaign and placed his focus squarely on recovery and rehabilitation. On April 28, 2026, he was ruled out for at least a month after suffering a flexor strain during his rehabilitation, further delaying his return. With the Cubs counting on his left arm as a foundation of their rotation, the organization remained patient about his comeback timeline and hopeful that he would rejoin the staff in full strength.
