3 things we learned from Chicago Cubs spring training, including Jake Arrieta looking good and Craig Kimbrel flashing a swing-and-miss curveball
Even during a casual batting-practice situation, the ball was a no-doubt home run off Kris Bryant’s bat.
Bryant crushed a pitch from Jake Arrieta onto the left-field berm Thursday in his first in-person look at his old teammate this spring. During his post-workout videoconference, Bryant admitted it felt great striking a ball that well.
Cubs manager David Ross enjoyed watching Bryant punish the ball. From his spot in the stands behind home plate, Ross asked Bryant how it felt.
“You can come out of those things feeling really good or really bad. I don’t know if I ever hit a home run in live BP,” Ross said with a laugh. “So I was, like, that had to feel good off the bat. ... It was kind of one of those former player moments that came up in my head.”
Ross thought Arrieta looked good overall, particularly the shape of his breaking balls and the down-and-in movement on his two-seam fastball.
“I’m happy to have him back in the Cubs uniform,” Bryant said. “It was weird seeing him in another pinstripe. I’m sure he enjoyed his time in Philly, but it’s really cool to see him back with the guys. ... It’s really cool for the fans and Chicago to see him back on our team.”
With three more workouts before their first Cactus League game Monday, here are three takeaways from Thursday.
1. Right-hander Rowan Wick is progressing slowly.
An update on reliever Rowan Wick is not encouraging. Wick reported to camp with an intercostal issue, which already had been a troubling development after he suffered an oblique strain that caused him to miss the final two weeks of the 2020 season.
Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Thursday that Wick is still in the rehab process and has not yet started playing catch. Hottovy acknowledged it would be ambitious to believe Wick will be ready for opening day.
“It’s just getting, one, to the root of what’s going on and then just giving him the right program to get back to being himself,” Hottovy said. “And we don’t want to rush that process either.”
Hottovy and Ross indicated the team is waiting for more information on Wick’s injury. Ross said Wick is having testing done on the lingering problem.
“It has been something (Wick and the training staff have) been trying to navigate all offseason and figure out,” Ross said. “They’re trying to give at least him some clarity of really what’s going on because I don’t think anybody really at this point is understanding where the pain is coming from.”
If Wick is not ready for the start of the season, which is how he’s trending, the Cubs have a big hole to fill in the back end of the bullpen. Wick thrived in high-leverage spots last year. He held opposing hitters to a .217 average in such situations with a .308 on-base percentage and .656 OPS.
2. Veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin joins the competition.
A new yet familiar face was present at camp Thursday for the first time this spring.
Cameron Maybin, who signed a minor-league deal with the team, was at the complex and officially became part of the competition for a bench spot. Maybin, 33, appeared in 18 games for the Cubs in September.
Ross called Maybin “a true pro” and appreciated the different ways he helped the team. Ross pointed to Maybin’s fastball-hitting ability — .308 average with one homer and two doubles in 2020 — and the quality at-bats he provided off the bench. Maybin is a good defensive option, too, if Ross wants a better fielder later in games.
“This guy’s having winning conversations about what to look for, how to play the game the right way, how to act as a major-league player, every aspect of that as well as his game and his skill set,” Ross said. “He’s a nice addition here late, and a lot of guys were happy to see him (Thursday).”
Maybin joins Marisnick, Nick Martini and Michael Hermosillo as the main contenders to fill the Cubs’ fourth and fifth outfielder spots. How the Cubs fill the backup roles could depend on how many pitchers they want to carry and their willingness to use a four-man bench. Regardless, Maybin is well-positioned to make the team.
3. Craig Kimbrel flashes a swing-and-miss curveball.
Joc Pederson whiffed at one. So did Marisnick during live BP.
Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel’s curveball showed the type of movement reminiscent from his scoreless September. The Cubs aren’t expecting pitchers to perfectly execute every live BP pitch. More importantly, they’re looking at the pitch characteristics.
“They’re still fine-tuning those things, but I thought Kimbrel looked really sharp in a spot where you can tell he really put some work in this offseason and learned a lot from last year,” Ross said. “The breaking ball I thought was the one that was still not where he wanted it last year, and today it was a great sign seeing seen how sharp and getting him to spin that for strikes and also for chase.”
Kimbrel used his curveball more frequently (37.7% of pitches thrown) in 2020 than in any other season in his 11-year career yet it was still a successful pitch for the right-hander. The early returns on the pitch in camp is an encouraging sign that it will remain effective off his fastball.
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