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MLB: Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks Mar 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs SP Justin Steele asks question about base running, names teammate MVP

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 3:33 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs enter their contest on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals sporting a five-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.

The Cubs are one of the most exciting teams to watch due to their explosive offense, which trails the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most runs scored in the MLB this season, with 349 runs. Despite dealing with injuries at pitcher, Chicago has the best run differential in baseball at plus-102.

Staring pitcher Justin Steele is out for the season after he sustained an elbow injury that required him to receive his second Tommy John surgery. His last outing was on April 7 in a 7-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

Justin Steele shares a couple of strong opinions

On Wednesday, Steele shared his thoughts on the most impressive piece of the Cubs’ offense. He asked fans if Chicago’s base unning was the best feature on the team. He also thinks center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong would deserve the MVP if the voting stopped today.

“Is this Cubs team the best base running team baseball has ever seen? Not just just the swiping of the bags… the double plays that aren’t being turned against us because of how we are running.. the taking of the extra bag on singles and turning them into doubles.. the whole 9 yards,” Steele posted on X.

“It’s been one of my favorite parts to watch this year with this cubs team. (This claim has zero analytical backing. Straight up an observation from my eyeballs.) Also; season ends today, PCA is your MVP. Get over it.”

Is this Cubs team the best base running team baseball has ever seen? Not just just the swiping of the bags… the double plays that aren’t being turned against us because of how we are running.. the taking of the extra bag on singles and turning them into doubles.. the whole 9…

— Justin Steele (@J_Steele21) June 4, 2025

The Chicago Cubs are one of the MLB’s best on the bases

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs Apr 22, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) runs after he hits a two run home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

While this metric doesn’t include double plays not being turned, the baserunning run value leaderboard by baseballsavant.mlb.com ranks the Cubs as having the No. 4 ranking for baserunning runs (5), measured by how many runs were created or lost by stealing bases or taking extra bases on basepaths.

The Milwaukee Brewers are No. 1 with 10 baserunning runs.

Still, the Cubs are one of the best teams in the league on the bases. And the bats of Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker continue to power baserunners to put numbers in the win column for Chicago.

MLB: Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs MLB: Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs Apr 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) delivers against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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