As the Cubs enter the middle of their Cactus League schedule, manager Craig Counsell has cautioned reading too much into lineup construction as he looks to get regulars the most at-bats. Camp cuts should begin this week as the organization begins evaluating who they want to open the season on the 26-man roster.
Michael Soroka will be the latest pitcher to get into the mix for the White Sox on Monday when he makes his first Cactus League start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After an off day Tuesday, Michael Kopech is in line for his second outing of the spring on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Our starters started a little bit later in the spring, just so they could get a little bit of extra work,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Sunday. “Now we’re hitting on all strides here with our starters and with our relievers and, now it’s a good lineup of pitching every single day.”
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.
Cubs’ Jameson Taillon adjusts his spring training build-up routine
Ten days into the Cubs’ Cactus League schedule, right-hander Jameson Taillon remains the only starter who has not yet pitched in a game.
The reason behind Taillon’s schedule at this point in camp is two-fold. Taillon will pitch in a simulation game Monday for a more controlled environment to work on his stuff. Cody Bellinger is among the hitters he is expected to face. Taillon’s next outing would come in a Cactus League game.
“Naturally if you put me in a game and I’m facing a good hitter, 3-2 count I’m probably going to throw my best pitch that day, not what I need to throw,” Taillon told the Tribune. ” … To get that honest feedback from your teammates is big.”
Taillon’s delay in getting into a spring game also serves as a precaution. Taillon’s calves have bothered him during camp but only when he’s in cleats and running to cover first base. Neither calf presents an issue when working out or pitching, however, the Cubs don’t want to push him. His right calf bothered him during the second half last season, but he was able to pitch through it without issue and managed it over the offseason.
The Cubs’ starting pitching depth in 2023 played a big role in their ability to weather injuries and help keep them in the playoff race into late September. Manager Craig Counsell and the organization believe their internal starting pitcher options will again be valuable.
“Last year was a good example of early in the year we leaned on certain guys, later in the year we leaned on other guys and in between there were guys making spot starts — everyone contributed,” Taillon said. “As a starter, I hate thinking about that we’re going to use everyone. Like, eff that, I want to make every start. I want the (rotation) to make every start. But that’s just the reality. I mean, we roll 10 guys deep that are MLB-caliber, which is super exciting and a sign of a healthy organization.”
Familiar faces, and opportunity, played a role in reliever Tim Hill’s decision to sign with the White Sox
The White Sox needed to stabilize the situation after allowing six runs in the third inning Saturday against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.
Reliever Tim Hill did just that in the fourth. After allowing a leadoff single to Evan Carter, the left-hander got Wyatt Langford to ground into a double play. Hill induced another groundout to complete his inning of work.
Hill has pitched two scoreless innings in two Cactus League outings this spring, his first with the Sox. He signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal in December.
“I just thought it would be a really good opportunity here,” Hill told the Tribune on Friday. “There’s a lot of guys here that I’ve known through baseball, through past encounters, like Pedro Grifol, who was the bench coach in Kansas City when I was there. (General manager) Chris Getz was also in the front office when I was there. The list goes on.
“And I think pretty highly of Chris Getz. He came under (former Royals president of baseball operations) Dayton Moore, who I also think very highly of. I think they kind of operate in similar manners which is one of the main reasons I wanted to come over here.”
Hill was selected by the Royals in the 32nd round of the 2014 draft. The 34-year-old has a career 4.16 ERA and four saves in 320 games during six seasons with the Royals (2018-19) and San Diego Padres (2020-23). He was 1-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 48 outings in 2023, missing most of the second half of the season with a sprained left finger that required surgery on Sept. 20.
“The main focus (in the offseason) was trying to get my finger right,” Hill said. “And everything was just kind of based on that, just try to get to full health. Which I feel I did a pretty good job of.”
Number of the week: 5
White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet has five strikeouts and no walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings this spring. He struck out two, including Shohei Ohtani, Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers and three, including Mike Trout, Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels.
Week ahead: Cubs
- Monday: at Padres, 2:10 p.m.
- Tuesday: at Royals, 7:05 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: vs. Angels, 2:05 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: at Reds, 7:05 p.m., Marquee
- Friday: vs. Mariners (SS), 2:05 p.m., Marquee; at Diamondbacks (SS), 2:10 p.m.
- Saturday: vs. Rockies, 2:05 p.m., Marquee
After his 2022 spring ramp-up was impacted by returning from his shoulder injury, Kyle Hendricks’ normal camp routine has been a welcomed experience.
Following his second start of the Cactus League on Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians, Hendricks said his body and mechanics both feel great.
“I’m just trying to make that more consistent, second nature where I don’t have to think about my cues,” Hendricks said. “And outside of that, it’s just mentally attacking it like a real game right now.”
Hendricks, who allowed three runs and five hits in three innings, wasn’t pleased with how he commanded his fastball down and away to lefties, but his changeup worked well, calling it a huge positive after it wasn’t effective in his first outing. He had so many unknowns going into last season coming off the serious shoulder injury, and now that he’s back where he wants to be, Hendricks isn’t going to deviate from what makes him successful.
“Kyle is just so unique, right? And it’s rare how he does it,” Counsell said. “He doesn’t have any peers almost and how he’s going through it, but he’s a teacher for that reason. We all learn from it and I know he’s quiet but he’s obviously open to talking and when he does, I think people learn from him.”
Week ahead: White Sox
- Monday: vs. Diamondbacks, 2:05 p.m.
- Tuesday: Off
- Wednesday: vs. Dodgers, 2:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: vs. Brewers, 2:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Friday: at Guardians, 2:05 p.m.
- Saturday: at Padres, 2:10 p.m., whitesox.com
- Sunday: at Giants, 3:05 p.m.
Eloy Jiménez started the spring on a tear.
Through his first six games, the designated hitter is batting .471 with six RBIs.
Jiménez is 8 for 17 with two doubles. Grifol is looking beyond the numbers.
“I’m excited about what Eloy’s doing,” Grifol said. “We haven’t seen too many balls on the ground, everything is in the air, which is a good sign for him and for us.
“He’s a big part of this because he hits (fourth in the lineup) behind (Luis) Robert (Jr.). There’s an effect to all of this if he’s swinging the bat the way he’s capable of swinging, which I’m confident he will.”
What we’re reading this morning
- Column: Spring training rekindles friendships and memories of those who have loved the game
- ‘Pitches are starting to feel sharper’: Erick Fedde takes next step in 1st spring start with the Chicago White Sox
- Shota Imanaga flashes strikeout stuff in his Chicago Cubs spring debut — and Ian Happ is sidelined with a hamstring injury
- ‘The stuff was really sharp’: Ace Dylan Cease makes his 1st Cactus League start for the Chicago White Sox
- Column: Sun-splashed day offers rays of hope for the Cubs and White Sox — and 2 starters in the spotlight
- Fanatics being unfairly blamed for new MLB uniforms that include see-through pants, founder says
Quotable
“He has that calm demeanor that is very helpful for a pitcher, like, that’s a real thing for sure. And so you’ve got to be calm and at the same time show them that you’re really invested in them and that’s the challenge for a catcher.” — Cubs manager Craig Counsell on catcher Miguel Amaya
