MESA, Ariz. — Miles Mastrobuoni wasn’t thinking about how Sunday’s Cactus League showdown was only an exhibition game as he tracked a fly ball to the left field wall at Sloan Park.
Mastrobuoni, in the mix for one of the Chicago Cubs’ bench spots, perfectly tracked the ball off the bat of Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges in the third inning and timed his jump to pull it back over the wall. Mastrobuoni hit the wall hard, though, and couldn’t hold on to the ball, which landed in play for a double.
In the process, his head slammed into the metal fence during the attempted catch, causing a gash, but he stayed in the game after getting checked out. The sequence wowed starter Kyle Hendricks, who told Mastrobuoni afterward to take it easy in spring.
“I appreciate the effort, but I’ll take it in season,” Hendricks said. “He plays all out all the time, man. He’s the best. He’s my guy. So I can’t thank him enough for the effort. He’s having a heck of a spring already. He’s fun to watch.”
In the bottom half of the inning, Mastrobuoni led off with a home run, his first of the spring. Mike Tauchman joked with Mastrobuoni in the dugout following his home run about old wives tales in which someone gets kicked in the head by a horse and can then tell fortunes: “You banged your head and turned into Ted Williams.”
Mastrobuoni’s best path to helping the Cubs will come from his versatility. He was told a couple of days ago to prepare to add outfield work to his infield position play, something he got a taste of in 2023 when he started five games in right field during April including on opening day.
“Last year, I was just thinking too much so today I really just told myself, just go out there and be athletic,” Mastrobuoni said. “I think I’m a pretty athletic guy, and you just gotta let that kind of take over, right? Like sometimes when we get too in our heads and we think a little bit too much about, oh, I need this and that and it’s just like, go out there and play be loose because when you’re thinking about all that other stuff you get tight.
“I really wish I pulled that one back down, but a good start for sure.”
It took time for Mastrobuoni to get into a rhythm last season getting shuffled between Triple-A Iowa and the Cubs, and when he was in the big leagues, consistent playing time was rare.
“It was tough mentally on me — big time,” Mastrobuoni said. “If you’re getting one at-bat that day or three at-bats in a week that’s something that’s really hard to do. I didn’t do a very good job at that. And I want to do a better job at that. But I’m understanding that and not taking it too hard. I took it a little too hard. So just trusting myself, trusting my work and just once the game comes around, just be athletic and go out there and let that take over.”
Tauchman became a valuable resource last year for Mastrobuoni, who also started journaling to get out his thoughts and not bottle up his feelings. Mastrobuoni valued Tauchman’s insight stemming from six journeyman seasons with four organizations. He asked Tauchman how to best transition into a role player position and learned the importance of understanding one’s strengths.
“He’s coming in with a really good plan and obviously he’s a phenomenal athlete and feels like his swing is in a really good spot,” Tauchman said of Mastrobuoni. “If he’s striking the ball like that and able to help us at a multitude of positions, play shortstop, play left field, like, that’s so valuable. I’m excited for him this year.”
Tauchman endured a similar role early last year, beginning the season in Triple A before earning a call-up and part-time role. By the end of the season, Tauchman became a staple of the lineup and at the top of the Cubs’ batting order. This spring he won’t have to wonder whether he needs to prove something in camp to lock down a spot on the opening day roster. Manager Craig Counsell informed Tauchman on the first day of spring training that he will break camp with the Cubs.
Beyond his secured roster status, what Tauchman’s role entails and how much he is in the lineup at the start of the season depends in part on how he forces the issue.
“That means the challenge still goes on, like, you have to earn playing time,” Counsell said. “And that’s how it should be and that’s how it’s going to be for Mike. But he put together a lot of quality at-bats last year and he’s capable of doing that. Keep him in that space and those at-bats will be there.”
