MESA, Ariz. — As hitting groups of two to three cycled through Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly’s Sloan Park station Saturday morning, the players talked off to the side as they waited their turn.
It was an extension of a theme manager Craig Counsell highlighted last spring: this offense is constantly talking about their swings.
“It makes my job a lot easier,” Kelly said Tuesday. “… I try not to interrupt. I try to go at a pace where they have a little time in between rounds. And I think that’s one of the hidden benefits with doing the small group stuff [before home games,] one-on-one, in kind of a secret setting in the stadium. There’s no one else watching, and they’re vulnerable, and they can just talk hitting.”
Catcher Carson Kelly had an opening in his schedule, so he went to the stadium early and watched from behind the on-field cage, trading notes with shortstop Dansby Swanson between rounds.
“He’s a very smart baseball player,” Carson Kelly said of Swanson. “He looks for the little details and how he can get better, and how we can get better as a team. And that’s what you want in a leader on a team.”
When the rest of Carson Kelly’s hitting group arrived, he became the veteran passing down nuggets of wisdom to Rule 5 draft pick Gage Workman.
Sosa returns to Cubs camp
Cubs legend Sammy Sosa, having reconciled with chairman Tom Ricketts over the winter before being announced as a Cubs Hall of Fame inductee at Cubs Convention, arrived in camp Tuesday afternoon.
He donned a Cubs uniform and joined the team in the Sloan Park dugout as they took on the Diamondbacks, chatting with players on the bench. After a conversation with Sosa, Vidal Bruján launched a home run to left field and hopped out of the box as an homage.
Sosa is going to serve as a guest instructor this spring, joining a star-studded group of alumni who have popped into camp this spring, including National Baseball Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins and Ryne Sandberg, and Cubs Hall of Famers Rick Sutcliffe, Shawon Dunston and Mark Grace.
Turner turning heads
It’s too early to take much from Justin Turner going 2-for-2 with a walk in his Cubs spring training debut Monday against the Padres. But he has already made an impression in camp over the past six days.
“The thing you learn quickly about being around Justin is that he has a very advanced feel for the game,” Counsell said Tuesday. “He is just seeing things before most guys are seeing them.
“Now, that doesn’t have anything to do with going 2-for-2 [Monday,] but one of his great tools, frankly, is how he’s able to see the game. And I think probably, in the end, it’s one of those things that allows him to make adjustments quicker during the season. And it’s fun to watch him hit.”
Shaw update
Third baseman Matt Shaw (left oblique) progressed to throwing to first base during fielding practice Monday, manager Counsell said.
The Cubs aren’t ruling out the Tokyo Series for Shaw, but they are going to continue a cautious approach to his ramp-up.
Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 2
Speedy Pete Crow-Armstrong generated a run in the sixth inning by creating chaos on the base paths. He first stole second, and the throw bounced into center field. He checked behind him as he ran for third and then took off home, sliding head first over the plate. He also made an impressive catch sliding in on a short fly ball in the second inning.
- The Cubs offense was quiet through the first four innings, and then they got rolling with a bang. Catcher Carson Kelly and utility man Viadal Brujan both hit solo homers in the fifth inning to tie the game.
- Kyle Tucker walked three times. Through two games, he’s still looking for his first hit of the spring.
- On deck: Cubs at Giants, 2:05 p.m. Wednesday, Scottsdale, Shota Imanaga vs. Jordan Hicks.
