CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Former Montgomery Central baseball player and Clarksville native Alec Mills has dazzled through three starts this season for the Chicago Cubs.

Before entering the 2020 Major League Baseball campaign, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood were presumed to round out Chicago’s starting rotation which would’ve left Mills as the odd man out.

After Quintana suffered a freak injury in early July, Mills was then ushered in from the bullpen. So far, he’s made the most of his opportunities as the team’s fifth starter.

“It’s just kind of surreal,” Mills said. “It’s a dream come true. I mean I had already made it to the big leagues before, but to be in a rotation on Opening Day albeit the circumstances, was still a big moment for me. It was kind of cool walking out and a lot to take in, but I’ve just tried to take it and run with it.”

On Aug. 4, Mills took the mound against the team that drafted him in the Kansas City Royals. He threw seven shutout innings, helping lead Chicago to a 2-0 victory.

Mills later issued a statement via twitter to clarify that he harbors no hard feelings toward his former organization, understanding the nature of the business.

“It’s tough,” Mills said. “Obviously I enjoyed pitching well against them. I’m forever thankful for the chance they took on me in the 22nd round. At the same time, they were willing to part ways with me without much of an opportunity to perform and prove myself. I just really wanted to get the chance to pitch against them again and kind of show them what they got rid of and that I can be successful. I think some people may have taken it the wrong way, but I said what I said and I meant it. Success against a former team is always a good thing.”

The 28-year old right-hander has posted a 2-1 record with a 2.84 ERA through three starts in 2020. Mills phrased the coaching staff for providing detailed scouting reports for him to analyze and then execute.

“I think for me, I really just feel like everything is kind of culminating and I’m pitching better than I have ever in my career,” Mills said. “Then at the same time, the ability for me to pitch to hitters’ weaknesses has helped me take a big leap forward.”

In his first year as Cubs manager, David Ross has coached Chicago to an impressive 15-7 record out of the gates.

As the team currently sits at the top of the N.L. Central with a 4.5-game lead, Mills shared his thoughts on his new skipper.

“It’s just a different presence with Rossy,” Mills said. “He comes in and the voice is a little louder and a little more commanding than Maddon (Joe) was. Rossy I think also emphasizes taking care of yourself and taking care of the little things. It’s kind of a change of scenery for a lot of guys, but at the same time I don’t think anybody is going to take a dig at Joe Maddon. What he did was incredible and I think he’ll have success for a long time.”

The former UT-Martin product was perfect through four frames in his last outing before former N.L. MVP Christian Yelich hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth to put the Brewers on top for good.

Even though his first loss of the season was a tough pill to swallow, Mills is choosing to get better from the mishap rather than dwell on it.

“Yeah it was on short notice, but I was still on full rest,” Mills said of the start. “I felt good body wise and arm wise, so that wasn’t really a concern to me. Honestly, I think it might’ve been the best I’ve pitched all year command wise.

“Obviously what Yelich did was not a good thing. Maybe it was a bad pitch call and obviously it was a bad pitch execution. It was a changeup up and I probably shouldn’t have gone to that pitch at all. They always say don’t let that guy beat you and he did that night. I lost some sleep over that, but like I said it’s a mistake that I’ll learn from.”

Life on the road and even at home looks a lot different for big leaguers this season due to MLB protocols surrounding COVID-19.

Luckily for Mills, his typical routine in preparation for games hasn’t been thrown off as much as others.

“It’s really not too much different this year,” Mills said. “I think as a starter, most guys kind of go off and do their own thing. With that being said, everyday life at the field is drastically different. It’s a really weird time. I think everybody has kind of bought in and we’re really just trying to stick to the protocols as much as we can. Teams that can stay out of situations like the Cardinals are going to have a better chance at winning more games throughout the year.”

Now the father of a 10-month old baby boy, Mills said becoming a dad has helped him learn quite a bit about life both on and off of the diamond.

“For me and I’ve always tried to treat it this way, is that baseball is my job and baseball is just a sport,” Mills said. “When you have a bad day or even a really good day, it’s easy to take it home with you. Being a dad really gives you another perspective on life. Family always comes first. Whether it’s a good day or bad, I can always come home from the field and I get to see little man and my wife. It’s a nice little getaway from the game for sure mentally.”

Rumor has it that Quintana is slated to start the third game of Chicago’s upcoming weekend series against his former team in the crosstown-rival Chicago White Sox.

With Chatwood recently heading to the injured list with a back strain, Mills will certainly remain in the starting rotation for now.

Even if Chatwood hadn’t gotten hurt, many analysts feel as if Mills has done enough to not be sent back to the bullpen upon Quintana’s return.

Mills is simply approaching the situation one day at a time and believes the team hasn’t yet ruled out the possibility of even going to a six-man rotation.

“Like I said before, I think I’m just trying to take the opportunity and run with it,” Mills said. “It’s something that I feel like I’ve deserved a chance at for a long time. I think I’ve done what I can to step up for the team and have had success. For me, it’s just a matter of pitching as good as I can and making them make that tough decision. Whatever that is, I’ll do what I can to make the team better and be ready for anything they throw my way.”