Cubs manager Craig Counsell raises his arms in victory after crossing home plate during pick-off and run down practice at Cubs Spring Training in Mesa, AZ. 02-26-2024.
John Antonoff / For the Sun-Times
MESA, Ariz – Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel needed a catch partner as he rotated to the infield station on the half field last week. So, manager Craig Counsell offered.
They tossed the ball back and forth as infielder Miles Mastrobuoni changed his shoes. Shortstop Dansby Swanson and second baseman Nico Hoerner were finishing up a round of ground balls, before leaving to hit on Field 2.
Spring training camp took on a laid back feel, with moments of sharp focus, as the Cubs went through a new workout format implemented by Counsell.
“When it was introduced, the idea of individual days, I wasn’t sure if it was just going to be a free-for-all kind of thing – which would be fine, too,” Hoerner told the Sun-Times. “But it’s a nice combination of having some structure and time slots, but then really being able to work on whatever it is that you feel like you need, or pairing certain guys together to get to work.”
Counsell estimated he’d been using this individual day format in spring training for five or six years. The Cubs will go to it before home Cactus League games, with more traditional team workouts before road games.
Coaches take up stations all around the Cubs’ spring training complex, and players rotate through those stations in small groups or solo, depending on their focuses.
“Basically, [assistant hitting coach] John Mallee gets two hours in the stadium with four hitters, and he’s in a sweet spot of teaching,” Counsell said, as an example.
Counsell said he got the idea while attending a Milwaukee Bucks practice when Mike Budenholzer was their coach. Counsell had a conversation with Bucks general manager Jon Horst about player development.
“He kind of planted a seed in my head,” Counsell said. “I wasn’t really sure how it would work in baseball. But the premise was mostly, get coaches doing what they’re good at doing, and then try to put players in a smaller setting, an individual setting, especially the important players, and get them one-on-one time with the best coaches.”
Counsell insists he isn’t reinventing the wheel. But he is shaking up what has been the typical setup in Cubs camp for years.
Mallee likened the individual days to early work, on a larger scale. Hoerner and starting pitcher Justin Steele said the schedule more closely mirrors their in-season routines.
“Playing for the Cubs definitely is different with the amount of day games we have,” Hoerner said. “And so being able to get yourself ready to play without needing a full batting practice and a bunch of work on the field is really important. And so I think it starts to give a little bit of a sense for that as well.”
Planning and scheduling out workout days with so many moving pieces requires extra work, but the payoff has inspired positive reviews so far.
“Everyone’s loving it, from what I’ve heard,” third baseman Nick Madrigal said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “I think it’s great, to have slower days and better work on those days.”
Madrigal worked with Mallee one-on-one Thursday, focusing on hitting the ball out front to take advantage of the natural lift in that part of his swing.
Hoerner has appreciated the ability to input breaking ball settings on the pitching machine, rather than just taking a lot of regular batting practice.
The small groups change from day to day, allowing players in similar position groups to get to know each other. Infielder Matt Shaw, who the Cubs drafted No. 13 overall in June, was paired with Hoerner on Tuesday, and Swanson and utility Mastrobuoni on Thursday.
“Something in particular that they both do really well is the way that they can push through baseballs,” Shaw said of the Cubs’ starting middle infield tandem of Swanson and Hoerner. “You don’t see them very often on their back foot letting the ball play them. … Defensively, you really can’t get better instruction from any coach as you can from two Gold Glove [caliber] infielders that are doing it right now.”
Pitchers — in addition to their bullpens, work in the pitching lab and live batting practice sessions — get individual attention while going through weighted ball drills or working on controlling the running game. Steele said he used a recent home game workout to focus on pick-off moves.
In a way, the individual days reflect Counsell’s approach to managing and culture building.
“He’s going to provide some guidelines and leadership, obviously, that’s going to help us,” Hoerner said. “But he trusts the players a lot, and the staff.”