Meghan Montemurro
Chicago Tribune
MESA, Ariz. — Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell didn’t feel compelled to address the team Tuesday before their final exhibition game.
The Cubs don’t need to be hyped up as spring training concluded with a 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Sloan Park.
“This is an exciting day and that we’ve finished the first step and we get to go play games that count — that’s fun for everybody,” Counsell said.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga made his final spring tune-up Tuesday before he takes the mound Monday for the Cubs’ home opener. With a largely intact roster from a year ago, the Cubs broke camp and headed to Texas with a big-picture goal in mind. It is among the takeaways from the team’s spring.
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, left, and infielder Nick Madrigal warm up on Feb. 22 in Mesa, Ariz.
Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune/TNS
1. Seiya Suzuki appears primed for an All-Star season.
When the Cubs signed Seiya Suzuki during 2022 spring training, they envisioned him as a slugging force in the middle of the lineup.
For stretches over the last two years, Suzuki has shown what he can be at his best. Now as he enters Year 3 in Chicago, the 29-year-old Suzuki just completed his first full spring training and seems to be reaping benefits from a full six-week camp.
Suzuki led the Cubs in nearly every offensive category this spring, including six home runs, five doubles, 12 RBIs and 1.593 OPS.
Chicago Cubs unveil plan for new rooftop signs, and say they’re bringing back an old tradition
“He’s just in control of his at-bats, no question about it, so I’m not surprised by it,” Counsell said. “I mean, he’s a really good hitter. The last two months (of 2023) it felt like he turned a corner in a comfort way as much as anything. He’s very confident right now, it’s clear.”
Suzuki looks locked in and while there are no guarantees that carries over into the regular season, he has utilized a more aggressive approach dating back to August. Combined with his stellar eye, that could serve as a great foundation for a big season.
2. Starting pitching depth gets an early test.
The Cubs’ internal starting pitching options took steps forward last year, setting up the organization to consider different paths to building the rotation this season.
The Cubs expect to call on the depth at some point. At the start of camp, Counsell noted how the team would likely use around 12 pitchers to make at least one start in 2024. Right-hander Jameson Taillon’s lower back injury is forcing him to begin the season on the 15-day injured list with an eye on a mid-April return. Taillon threw one inning in live batting practice Monday and is scheduled to throw another live BP Friday before heading out on a minor-league assignment.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time, but the hope is that he continues to progress,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday. “But I think that’s where depth matters and I feel really good about (Javier) Assad making the starts, guys who are in Iowa that I felt good about making starts so I prefer to have him back, but I like the fact that we have some options.”
Taillon’s absence created an open starting spot from which right-hander Javier Assad benefits. With left-hander Drew Smyly in the bullpen and right-hander Hayden Wesneski starting at Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs still have guys they can call on, ready to go, if they need another starter. And by the end of the season, top prospect Cade Horton could be in that mix too.
Cubs slugger Patrick Wisdom practices fielding drills on Feb. 22 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.
Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune/TNS
3. The Cubs have the talent to make the postseason, now they need to take care of business.
The Cubs return largely the same lineup and pitching staff they had to end the 2023 season, with three key additions — Imanaga, reliever Héctor Neris and first baseman Michael Busch — that bolster areas of weakness on the roster.
The National League Central division appears up for grabs and ultimately anything less than a postseason appearance would go down as a disappointment. There’s always an element of luck to surviving a long season, but the Cubs believe they have the pieces to secure a playoff spot. The group that remains from the 2023 squad that endured a bitter collapse does not want 2024 to play out similarly.
The camp vibes were good to kick off Counsell’s first year with the organization. Team chemistry only goes so far, however. The Cubs’ first test begins Thursday in Texas and will start by watching the Rangers receive their World Series rings.
PHOTOS: Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs
In 1916, the Chicago Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park); the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.
AP
Banners outside Wrigley Field on Oct. 2, 2017.
NANCY STONE, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The general view of the football field at Wrigley Field on Nov. 10, 2021.
Jose M. Osorio
Wrigley Field in Chicago is seen in 2020.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ukrainian flags are seen outside Wrigley Field as fans arrive for the Chicago Cubs home-opener baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Chicago.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A member of the grounds crew prepares home plate before the Chicago Cubs home-opener baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Chicago.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers players stand on the sidelines during the national anthem before the Cubs home-opener baseball game, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Chicago.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
This is the view seen by the six-man crew working inside the Chicago Cubs' scoreboard at Wrigley Field, Sept. 29, Sept. 29, 1984. The scoreboard built in 1937 is illuminated by the sun rather than electronic bulbs. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)
Mark Elias
FILE - In this April 12, 2013 file photo, Ben Martin, from St. Louis, has his picture taken by friend Stephanie Martin before a baseball game and Cubs' home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The famed marquee, scoreboard and ivy were not original parts of the ballpark. The marquee went up in 1934 and was more of a bluish color at the time. The ivy was installed three years later. The scoreboard originally was a reddish brown with a white clock and was painted its familiar dark green in 1944. The historic ballpark will celebrate it's 100th anniversary on April 23, 2014.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast,File)
Charles Rex Arbogast
In this April 10, 2014 photo, scoreboard operators Fred Washington, right, and Brian Helmus look out to the field from inside of the scoreboard at Wrigley Field during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Kiichiro Sato
In this Tuesday, March 24, 2015, photo, construction continues on renovations around Wrigley Field's center field in Chicago. When fans arrive for the Chicago Cubs' baseball season opener Sunday, April 5, 2015, against the archrival St. Louis Cardinals, they will get their first real look at the most visible phase of a massive renovation project. Just like in 1937, there will be new bleachers and a new brick outfield wall, just recently adorned with ivy. Even the centerpiece of the project, a brand new Jumbotron, will harken back to the day when Depression-era fans beheld a state-of-the-art manual scoreboard. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast
Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, left, presents New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter with Jeter's number on a Wrigley Field live scoreboard plate, before an interleague baseball game Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast
The Wrigley Field scoreboard reflects the completion of the other Major League Baseball games and the time in which a Tuesday baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies finished on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, in Chicago. At six hours and 27 minutes, a record for the longest game by time for both teams.. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast
In this April 10, 2014 photo, scoreboard operator Brian Helmus changes scores from inside the iconic scoreboard at Wrigley Field during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Kiichiro Sato
Allie Sherman, coach of the New York Giants, gestures towards the empty scoreboard as he talks with newsmen at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., Dec. 28, 1963. The Giants will play the Chicago Bears tomorrow for the NFL championship. (AP Photo/Paul Cannon)
Paul Cannon
FILE - In this Sept. 29, 1984 file photo, one of the six-man crew works inside the Wrigley Field's iconic scoreboard in Chicago. Wrigley Field will host its 100th anniversary celebration as the Chicago Cubs host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, exactly one century after the Chicago Federals opened then-Weeghman Park against the Kansas City Packers. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)
Mark Elias
In this April 10, 2014 photo, a view of the field from inside Wrigley Field’s iconic scoreboard is seen during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs in Chicago. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Kiichiro Sato
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter waves to the crowd after Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro gave Jeter a Wrigley Field live scoreboard plate wijth Jeter's jersey number on it, before an interleague baseball game Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast
FILE - In this June 6, 2003, file photo, New York Yankees' Derek Jeter warms up in the on-deck circle in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Friday, June 6, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs have agreed to several changes in their Wrigley Field renovation plan in exchange for a federal tax credit worth up to $75 million. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will consider the agreement during a meeting Thursday Dec. 4, 2014. Cubs spokesman Julian Green says the deal with the National Park Service will prevent other signs from encroaching on the historic center-field manual scoreboard. The deal could earn Wrigley a spot on National Register of Historic Places. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
M. Spencer Green
In this April 10, 2014 photo, scoreboard operator Darryl Wilson looks out to the field from inside Wrigley Field’s iconic scoreboard as during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. Wilson mans the two top floors, little more than scaffolding of the three-level scoreboard, tracking scores from around baseball and changing scores and the uniform numbers of pitchers as managers in those games bring in relievers. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press to climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Kiichiro Sato
FILE - In this April 10, 2014, file photo shows a view of the field from inside Wrigley Field’s iconic scoreboard during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark that while viewed as a throwback today has in fact played a big role in changing the way fans view sports. It was the first to let them keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. These are just some of many characteristics that sets the fabled stadium apart, along with the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard, the ivy-covered brick outfield walls and the ballhawks in the surrounding streets chasing home runs. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Kiichiro Sato
FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2015 file photo, fans gather on the streets outside of Wrigley Field after the Cubs won 6-4 in Game 4 in baseball's National League Division Series in Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark that while viewed as a throwback today has in fact played a big role in changing the way fans view sports. It was the first to let them keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. These are just some of many characteristics that sets the fabled stadium apart, along with the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard, the ivy-covered brick outfield walls and the ballhawks in the surrounding streets chasing home runs. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2015 file photo, Ernie Banks' statue wears a Chicago Cubs jersey at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark that while viewed as a throwback today has in fact played a big role in changing the way fans view sports. It was the first to let them keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. These are just some of many characteristics that sets the fabled stadium apart, along with the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard, the ivy-covered brick outfield walls and the ballhawks in the surrounding streets chasing home runs. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh
The scoreboard at Wrigley Field in Chicago is pictured, Oct. 7, 1940. (AP Photo)
STF
Fans seek shelter under the Wrigley Field scoreboard as the box score reflects a rain delay during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners Friday, July 29, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast
FILE - In this April 10, 2014 file photo, scoreboard operator Fred Washington looks out to the field from inside the iconic scoreboard at Wrigley Field during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs in Chicago. Fred Washington is retiring from his job as a Wrigley Field scoreboard operator, and he is hoping to finish his career in the World Series, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
Kiichiro Sato
The Wrigley Field scoreboard before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds in Chicago, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)
Jeff Haynes
Weather warnings are posted on the left and right field scoreboards as several thunderstorms descending into the Wrigley Field area have forced the postponement of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Chicago. The game was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader Wednesday. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast
FILE - This Oct. 25, 2011, file photo, shows the outfield ivy and iconic manual scoreboard at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Getting a side to give back something it gained previously in collective bargaining can lead to difficult negotiations, which is why Major League Baseball has its first work stoppage in 26 years. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
Charles Rex Arbogast
Six banks of lights illuminated Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs held their first official night practice in Chicago, July 25, 1988. Wrigley Field is the last major league park to install lights and will have their first night game on Aug. 8, against the Phillies. (AP Photo/John Swart)
John Swart
Wrigley Field with Chicago skyline in the background prior to action in a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros Saturday June 22, 2013 in Chicago, Ill. (AP photo/Joe Raymond
JOE RAYMOND
Downtown skyline is seen behind the scoreboard at Wrigley Field before Game 3 of the Major League Baseball World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel
Right field at Wrigley Field with Chicago skyline in the background prior to action in a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros Saturday June 22, 2013 in Chicago, Ill. (AP photo/Joe Raymond
JOE RAYMOND
The sun sets during the third inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on Thursday, June 30, 2022.
Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press
In this Oct. 12, 2015, photo, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals line up on the field at Wrigley Field during the national anthem before Game 3 in baseball's National League Division Series, in Chicago. Wrigley Field was the first to let fans keep foul balls, first with organ music and first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. There's also the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard and the ivy-covered brick outfield walls.
Nam Y. Huh, Associated Press
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