Earlier in the spring training schedule, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon changed his tactics a bit to place more emphasis on the fundamental aspects of the game, and he continued to preach that message before Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
“Pitching and defense, regardless of how good we’re projected to hit, I’m really concerned that we do those things well,” he said. “You have to win 3-2, 4-3 and 1-0 every once in a while to really get to the promised land. You probably have to do that with one or two good defensive plays. I have to keep selling guys on that fact. The guys are getting into it, and that’s what’s going to help us get to the next level.”
“Everyone’s looking for the ball to go over the wall. Beautiful,” he continued. “We have to be able to catch the ball, too. There’s a lot of good pitching out there. Hitting is going to get neutralized often, so you have to be able to catch the ball.”
The Cubs’ offense should be improved over what it was last season, with Dexter Fowler sliding into the lead-off spot and guys like Jorge Soler and Kris Bryant starting to make an impact on the big-league roster, but Maddon isn’t impressed by home run numbers and swinging the bat hard. He wants guys to bring their gloves to the ballpark every day and be ready to work.
“We just want to get them into a particular routine on a given day, because we really need to raise our level of defense,” he said. “It’s there. We have to make routine plays. I want a boring defense that gets a routine ball and turns it into an out. If you can make the routine play routinely, you’re in pretty good shape.”
It’s with that emphasis in mind that Maddon and the Cubs’ brass are beginning to discuss which players will ultimately make the 25-man roster out of spring training. With the potential of carrying three catchers possibly limiting the number of fielding spots available, having versatile players like Arismendy Alacantara and Tommy La Stella that can play multiple positions is something that Maddon relishes.
“I love it. That permits you to do some maybe unconventional things when it comes to roster construction. It also helps in a game in progress,” he said. “These guys are both good in all those spots. It’s one thing to have utility and it’s another thing to have utility and be good when you’re playing other spots. The one thing I really don’t like is when you look out from the dugout and you notice defensively where you're weak, and you know the ball is going there. That never works.”
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With the team scheduled to have a day off from Cactus League play on Monday, Maddon said that roster cuts should start happening in earnest as next week goes on.
“We’re getting close to more of a mass exodus in the middle of this coming week,” he said. “We have had mini-conversations to get some of the obvious stuff out of the way. I’m certain that none of this is going to be a big surprise. You have to go through the process of sitting down with coaches and hearing what they have to see. By the middle of next week, we should have a pretty good idea.”
