MESA, Ariz. – Cubs manager Craig Counsell got right to the point: Gage Workman was going to Japan with the team.
“It was crazy,” Workman said. “Shocked. Just like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’”
Just three months ago, the Cubs selected Workman in the Rule 5 Draft from the Tigers. The 25-year-old had never played above Double-A or even been invited to major-league spring training camp before. Now, he’s expected to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster in Tokyo.
“Things change quick,” he said. “It was really cool just to have the opportunity. Just a big blessing. To be here and be able to play well and be able to make this team is pretty special.”
Workman has performed all camp, posting a 1.214 OPS in 13 games. Through Sunday, he was tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong for the most homers by a Cub this spring (three). But his at-bats last week against the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez stood out to manager Craig Counsell.
“You’re not going to have a day of harder at-bats in the big leagues,” Counsell said. “Three different guys, three at-bats, and he handled all those at-bats as well as anybody that day.”
Against Burnes, Workman worked a full count and then turned on a cutter in the bottom third of the strike zone and sent it through the right side of the field for an RBI single.
It is still the only run Burnes has given up this spring.
Against Puk, a lefty, Workman got to another deep count and then reached down to a slider as it dove out of the zone. He lined out.
Against Martinez, Workman jumped on a second-pitch fastball, drove it to right-center and legged out a double.
He took a piece of advice from outfielder Travis Jankowski, a veteran non-roster invitee who the Cubs returned to minor-league camp on Sunday, into that game against the Diamondbacks.
“He was like, ‘You’ve just got to take the name away from the pitcher,’” Workman said. “We look at our reports, and … you don’t necessarily think of this as Cy Young Corbin Burnes. You just think, this is another pitcher; how would I prepare against him?”
Workman also soaked up conversations with catcher Carson Kelly, who he spent time hitting with in a small group setting this spring, as Kelly emphasized that especially in practice, the result is not always the true indicator of how the work is going.
Keeping that in mind is easier said than done, especially for a Rule 5 Draft pick fighting for a spot on the team. But it proved to be one of Workman’s strengths this spring.
“If you add pressure in those situations – like, you need to get a hit here, you need to make a play – I think that’s when you tense up and you don’t get hits and don’t make plays,” Workman said. “So just doing your best to do the opposite of that, and just try to play free.”
Workman’s defense also strengthened his case.
“We think he’s going to be a plus defensive third baseman,” Counsell said. “And that’s something we need, right? So that there’s a fit there too.”
Rule 5 Draft picks often end up back with their original teams. So, when a team makes a selection, they aren’t necessarily doing it with the expectation that the player will stick on their active roster. They’re taking a flier at the possibility. And Workman, a left-handed hitter with power who can play multiple positions, was a profile the Cubs were missing.
Now, he’s going to Japan.
When Workman got the news, he said he first called his wife, followed by his parents and in-laws. Then he called his best friend Brendan Davis, a former Cubs top prospect.
“He was pumped,” Workman said. “He was just like, ‘No way, dude. Congrats.’ A baseball guy, he gets it. It’s a cool thing to be called up for the first time.”