CHICAGO -- Cubs manager David Ross called a team meeting on Sunday at Wrigley Field. This was one of those rewarding moments, when there was a series of good news to deliver to the players in the room.

This was the time to let everyone know that shortstop Dansby Swanson, along with pitchers Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele, were named to the National League team for the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 11 in Seattle.

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¡°Dansby got a couple claps. Stro got a couple claps,¡± Ross said.?¡°And then the place kind of erupted for Steeley. It was cool.¡±

This marks a second career nod each for Swanson and Stroman, but Steele will be heading to Seattle as a first-time All-Star. Swanson and Stroman are also players the Cubs spent big on in free agency, while Steele represents a homegrown talent who overcame early career injuries to blossom into one of baseball¡¯s top arms.

Steele leads the NL in ERA (2.43) and has used a perplexing two-pitch mix -- a fastball with late cut-ride action, paired with a slider he can manipulate in different ways -- to baffle hitters. After the Cubs¡¯ 8-6, 10-inning loss to the Guardians, Steele said it was hard to believe this moment had arrived for him.

¡°You grow up, you¡¯re always wanting to play in MLB,¡± Steele said. ¡°To actually be here in the moment, finding out you¡¯re making your first All-Star Game, it¡¯s really special. It¡¯s really hard to put into words.¡±

Over the past two years, Steele has also become close with Stroman, who was thrilled to see his teammate earn the ticket to the Midsummer Classic.

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¡°I was way more excited for the news for Justin than myself, to be honest with you,¡± said Stroman, who made the 2019 American League All-Star team with the Blue Jays. ¡°To be a young guy and to be so dominant in this league, and then just to have that validation, I think it¡¯s awesome for Steeley. It just kind of shows you that he¡¯s an ace.

¡°I think it¡¯s going to give him more confidence, motivation to continue this wave that he¡¯s been on.¡±

Really, it has been Steele and Stroman who have been riding a kind of wave together. And their style of pitching -- reliant on weak contact -- has required stellar defense, which Swanson has anchored up the middle in his first season for the North Siders.

According to Statcast, both Steele and Stroman have benefited from five outs above average apiece. In the field, Swanson has accumulated 10 OAA, which was tied for second overall in the Majors for any position entering Sunday, trailing only the 12 posted by Rays shortstop Wander Franco.

The Cubs reeled Swanson in with a seven-year, $177 million contract over the offseason, and he has backed up that commitment so far. Entering Sunday, Swanson¡¯s 2.9 WAR (per FanGraphs) led NL shortstops, and he was slashing .261/.348/.407 with nine homers, 14 doubles, 35 RBIs and a career-best 11.2 percent walk rate.

Swanson was an All-Star and an NL Gold Glove Award winner and received Most Valuable Player votes for the Braves last season. He has carried that forward amid the pressure and expectations that come with a large deal.

¡°This is who we thought we¡¯d be getting,¡± Ross said. ¡°He has the work ethic, the championship pedigree, the mindset to be that guy, and that staple that we needed here in the middle of our diamond. I¡¯m happy we got him.¡±

¡°It¡¯s obviously such a special honor,¡± Swanson said of making the All-Star team again. ¡°This game has given us so much, and to be able to kind of give back and be able to be involved in something like this is special.¡±

With a defense led by Swanson and second baseman Nico Hoerner -- who Stroman insisted should also be on the All-Star team -- the Cubs¡¯ rotation has posted a 3.95 ERA that trailed only Atlanta in the NL. Steele and Stroman (2.76 ERA) have given Chicago a one-two punch that has helped keep postseason aspirations alive.

And their success on the mound has stretched back to midsummer last year.

Dating back to June 30, 2022, Steele¡¯s 2.07 ERA has led baseball among pitchers with at least 100 innings logged. Similarly, Stroman has posted a 2.67 ERA going back to July 9 last season, ranking fourth among qualified pitchers behind only Zac Gallen (2.32), Clayton Kershaw (2.34) and Shohei Ohtani (2.65).

This year, Stroman has led the Majors to date in quality starts (14), while posting the league¡¯s second-highest ground-ball rate (59.7 percent) and ranking third in homers per nine innings (0.42). Steele ranked second in HR/9 (0.32) in the Majors and third among NL pitchers in fWAR (2.6), with Stroman (2.4 fWAR) close behind.

¡°That¡¯s my guy right there,¡± Stroman said. ¡°We talk so much about baseball, life. It¡¯s awesome to see him succeeding out there to the highest degree.¡±