GLENDALE and MESA, Ariz. — Every camp has prominent players who come in hoping for a rebound year.
Cody Bellinger was that guy last year for the Chicago Cubs and wound up winning MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year award. White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada is looking to change his fortunes this spring after battling a back injury last season.
Can Moncada do in 2024 what Bellinger did? So far, so good.
Every Monday and Friday during spring training, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead for the Cubs and Sox.
Yoán Moncada seeing early results of offseason work
The Texas Rangers positioned third baseman Jonathan Ornelas well off the bag with Moncada at the plate in the first inning of Monday’s Cactus League game at Camelback Ranch.
Batting from the left side, the switch-hitting Moncada took advantage with a sharp single to left field.
It was exactly what he aims for during the early portions of camp.
“Early on (in spring training) I just focus on trying to hit the ball up the middle and to the opposite field,” Moncada said through an interpreter Wednesday morning.
Moncada entered Thursday with three hits in his first seven at-bats (.429). The third baseman also has looked sharp in the field, charging an Ornelas grounder in the third Monday, cleanly fielding it and throwing to first in time for the out.
Moncada performed well last spring, too, earning All-Tournament honors for Team Cuba in the World Baseball Classic. But his regular season was derailed by back-related issues that led to two stints on the injured list.
“It was frustrating,” Moncada said. “To start the year in that way, then dealing with all the injuries and fighting and trying to come back to the level I was, it was tough.”
He finished the season strong, slashing .298/.344/.560 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games in September. Manager Pedro Grifol said the most important things for Moncada at this moment are “focus and concentration.”
“Everybody knows his ability,” Grifol said Wednesday. “He can do anything on the field. It’s all going to come down to just concentration.
“That’s what we’re harping (on). The rest of the stuff is just little tweaks here and there and with his leads and his (secondary leads), little stuff that we feel can make him an elite player. It’s just keeping him focused and concentrating on what he needs to do to help us.”
Moncada said he feels good physically after “working with different people” during the offseason.
“It helped me a lot,” he said. “I think that’s the reason I feel good right now.”
Should MLB impose a signing deadline?
With so many free agents remaining on the market with spring training underway, is it time for MLB to think about a signing deadline?
“There are benefits to both things,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “Just because there is a deadline doesn’t always mean people act on it. So it’s a tough situation to navigate, but it’s all their personnel decisions and that’s what they’re choosing to do.”
Bellinger agreed last week to a three-year, $80 million deal with two opt-outs, but prominent players such as Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and J.D. Martinez were unsigned as of Thursday night. All are represented by Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, who obviously is opposed to any change in the status quo.
Boras pointed to the mid-July signing deadline for drafted players that MLB implemented in 2012. Before, talented players had the upper hand and could leverage going to or staying in college against starting a pro career if the money wasn’t right.
“The minute you put a deadline on that, (teams) say: ‘I’m not going to negotiate with you until five minutes before, and then I’m going to give you this offer and there is no negotiation and if you want to be a pro, this is it,’” Boras said. “The athlete is absolutely neutered by deadlines.”
It’s unlikely the union ever would go for a deadline, so expect more players to go into spring training without deals in coming years.
“The reason why deadlines are wanted by teams is because the transparency of the individual decision is removed,” Boras said.
Number of the week: 513
Appearances since 2016 by new Cubs reliever Hector Neris, the most in the majors over the last eight years. Neris ranks third among relievers in strikeouts during that span with 634, trailing Edwin Diaz (657) and Josh Hader (648).
Weekend ahead: Cubs
- Friday: vs. White Sox, 2:05 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at Dodgers, 2:05 p.m., Marquee
- Sunday: vs. Guardians, 2:05 p.m., Marquee
The Cubs, like many teams, give their rotation a later start in spring training games to get them ready for the first week of the season. Justin Steele’s debut will be Friday against the White Sox at Sloan Park, while Shota Imanaga is slated to make his Cubs debut Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale — possibly facing fellow Japanese star Shohei Ohtani.
Jordan Wicks, battling for the fifth spot, threw three scoreless innings in his second start Wednesday. Javier Assad, Hayden Wesneski and veteran Drew Smyly are also in the mix.
“We’re well-positioned with where our young pitching is,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re going to be talking about more than six, I can promise you that.”
The Cubs have remained injury-free the first week of Cactus League play except for what Counsell called a “mild” concussion for outfielder Brennen Davis after a hit-by-pitch. Davis was placed in concussion protocol.
Weekend ahead: White Sox
- Friday: at Cubs, 2:05 p.m.
- Saturday: at Rangers, 2:05 p.m.
- Sunday: at Angels, 2:10 p.m.
Michael Kopech will make his first Cactus League start Friday at Sloan Park in Mesa. Grifol said Kopech’s velocity is up this spring, something he has noticed from several pitchers.
“That’s one thing that has been different in camp this year,” Grifol said. “Last year, the velo was down with a majority of these guys in camp. We were just waiting for that velo to slowly increase, and it did but it was slow. It was a slow-paced process, maybe even too slow.
“But this year right off the bat, (Garrett) Crochet (on Tuesday against the Dodgers), I don’t think he touched that (velocity, which was 97-100 mph) last year, maybe not at all. Kopech’s velo has been high, (Dylan) Cease’s velo has been high. Everybody came in ready to prove something. I’m really happy with that.”
Cease’s first start is scheduled for Saturday against the Texas Rangers in Surprise.
What we’re reading this morning
- Column: All’s well that ends well for Cubs star Cody Bellinger after an offseason of uncertainty
- White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet impresses — including a 1-2-3 inning vs. 3 former MVPs
- How a Cubs fan ‘broke’ the news of Cody Bellinger re-signing: ‘Honestly it’s been bananas’
- White Sox get the 1st look at Shohei Ohtani — who homers in his spring debut for Dodgers
- Cody Bellinger signing makes roster battle a bit tougher for Cubs rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong
- Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch this season after major elbow surgery, but he still can hit. Here’s why.
This week in Chicago baseball
March 1, 1998: Newly signed Cubs closer Rod Beck admits to the Tribune he wanted to stay with the San Francisco Giants, but they gave him an offer they knew he would refuse.
Beck’s girth was a topic of conversation, but he said Cubs fans had nothing to worry about: “I’ve never seen anyone on the disabled list with pulled fat.”
Beck wound up with 51 saves in a National League-high 81 appearances, helping the Cubs to a wild-card spot.
Quotable
“Performance matters for sure, preserving depth matters, but a really important point is you set the roster for one day, and every day we’re allowed to change the roster.” — Cubs manager Craig Counsell, downplaying the importance of making the opening-day roster
