Sports MESA, Ariz. — With the Tokyo Sequence to start the 2025 MLB season drawing attain in mid-March, the Cubs and Dodgers received a head start on spring coaching, with both groups reporting to camp a pair of days earlier than the 28 other golf equipment. It makes sense then that the 2 groups performed in the first reliable game of spring coaching, which took role Thursday at Camelback Ranch, and they followed with a rematch Friday in Mesa.
While perfect a chunk of the groups’ starters participated, these inaugural spring contests featured some significant moments and shined gentle on several storylines price monitoring thru the remainder of the spring. With their flights to Japan lower than three weeks away, listed below are six observations from the first two Cactus League video games between the Cubs and Dodgers.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s cutter is injurious Yoshinobu Yamamoto received the start for the Dodgers on Thursday and threw 27 pitches all the intention in which thru 1⅔ innings of work. Although his 2024 modified into interrupted midsummer by a shoulder damage that sidelined him for 3 months, Yamamoto’s extremely anticipated rookie season modified into broadly worthwhile, with a mammoth final day out in World Sequence Game 2, in which he one-hit the Yankees all the intention in which thru 6⅓ innings.
On Thursday, Yamamoto’s fastball, curveball and splitter — his three essential choices — all regarded piquant, on the opposite hand it modified into his cutter that stood out in his rapid day out.
The pitch touched 94.3 mph to strike out Nicky Lopez to total the first inning, which tied the very best velocity Yamamoto registered with the pitch final year (it averaged 91.5 mph). Let’s watch if he can defend a elevated velocity on that pitch this season and/or if he amplifies its utilization after throwing it perfect 6% of the time in 2024.
Bobby Miller feeling aesthetic after scary comebacker This is a astronomical spring coaching for perfect-hander Bobby Miller, who endured one of many extra coarse sophomore slumps in most up-to-date memory final year (8.52 ERA) after excelling as a rookie in 2023. Unfortunately, Miller’s debut spring day out modified into sever abet rapid Thursday when he modified into struck on the head by a Michael Busch line pressure in the stop of the third inning. Fortuitously, Miller modified into ready to stroll off under his beget energy and looks to have steer clear off any essential damage. Miller entered concussion protocol postgame but arrived to camp Friday having slept aesthetic and feeling in most cases OK.
It modified into a scary 2d that can perhaps have the Dodgers taking it late with the 25-year-passe for a rapid time, however the team is optimistic that he can resume throwing in the shut to future. On a depth chart as loaded as the Dodgers’, each and every and each and daily of spring is serious for a pitcher in Miller’s role to assemble his case for breaking camp with the astronomical-league membership. With any luck he’ll be abet on the mound soon to resume these efforts.
Gage Workman makes a resounding impact Rule 5 picks have a clear field throughout spring coaching. No longer perfect are they adjusting to a unique group, but they’re additionally fighting for a astronomical-league roster plight that they need to support at some stage in the season or else be returned to their novel team, which can likelihood them abet to the minors.
Such is the case for Gage Workman, whom the Cubs selected from the Tigers in December’s Rule 5 Draft after Detroit opted no longer to be able to add Workman to its 40-man roster. Workman, Detroit’s fourth-spherical opt in 2020, is a terrific infield defender with a rocket arm, but his bat has taken some time to make. Workman modified into a swap-hitter his total existence till he ditched hitting perfect-handed final year and subsequently loved his perfect offensive season as a genuine in Double-A.
His extremely effective, left-handed swing modified into on masks Friday, when he smacked a fastball from southpaw Justin Wrobleski over the left-field fence — an especially impressive feat pondering his relative lack of ride dealing with same-handed pitching.
Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell spoke Friday about Workman’s loud showing, while acknowledging the complex role he’s in.
“It’s straightforward for this participant to put loads of tension on himself. ‘Bought to assemble a legitimate impact’ is create of what is going thru your head, perfect? And he’s candy, ?” he mentioned. “You would’t bustle from that. That is the deal, man — we now have received to assemble a call on you. And so you might per chance well perhaps well per chance be chuffed for the participant that he made a nice impact in a disclose the put there’s loads of nerves and fright, and it’s miles so vital to him to assemble perfect.”
Counsell additionally pointed out that Workman’s glove stood out earlier in the game, when he slickly started two double-performs.
“Sooner than the home bustle, he had a nice day,” Counsell mentioned. “It modified into the defense that caught my look.”
Workman modified into in the lineup as soon as more Friday as the DH, one of perfect two Cubs to start both of the first two video games of spring, alongside with Vidal Brujan. Workman went 1-for-2 Friday, including an infield single and a seven-pitch battle in his 2d at-bat that ended in a sacrifice fly.
Because it stands, Workman has two narrow paths to assemble the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. With veterans Jon Berti and Justin Turner in the fold, there looks to be perfect one bench plight up for grabs. Brujan, a swap-hitting speedster who can play both infield and outfield, looks to have the leg up in that competition, but per chance Workman can beat him out. The opposite avenue for Workman entails the readiness of fellow infielders Matt Shaw and Nico Hoerner — particularly, if top prospect Shaw struggles this spring in his repeat to atomize camp as the Opening Day third baseman or if Hoerner, working his intention abet from offseason elbow surgical treatment, isn’t rather willing to roll attain Opening Day.
For now, all Workman can assemble is put his head down and assemble his perfect to masks the Cubs why he belongs. Born and raised in Arizona, having spring coaching in his dwelling enlighten in decision to in Florida with the Tigers is a nice added bonus. He had deal of pals and household in attendance at both video games, cheering loud and clear after his dwelling bustle.
“The household has been gearing up for spring coaching,” Workman mentioned, “perchance even better than me.”
Daniel Palencia brings the warmth One other Cub competing for a roster plight this spring is 25-year-passe perfect-hander Daniel Palencia, who has posted a 5.02 ERA in 43 essential-league innings the past two seasons but possesses one of the most proper stuff to your total group. He unleashed a 101.3 mph fastball to strike out Ryan Ward on Friday after touching as high as 102.5 mph in the minors final year.
Palencia’s 39.5% strikeout price ranked third among relievers with as a minimal 30 Triple-A innings final season, but his 12.8% stroll price hampered his bustle prevention seriously. The additions of veterans Ryan Pressly, Ryan Brasier, Caleb Thielbar and Eli Morgan in the Chicago bullpen this iciness makes it complex to envision Palencia breaking camp with the Cubs, but right here’s the sort of skills that can perhaps well operate high-leverage alternatives if he’s ready to assemble the very best tweaks and refine his uncover. Don’t ignore this dude.
Zyhir Hope’s glovework stands out Having modified into 20 a limited over a month in the past, Zyhir Hope is without doubt one of many youngest gamers in any astronomical-league camp this spring. Traded to the Dodgers from the Cubs as piece of the return for Michael Busch, Hope surged up prospect lists in 2024, thanks to a standout summer on the plate in Low-A, sooner than persevering with to masks off his instruments in the Arizona Fall League.
Hope seemed in both of the Dodgers’ first two video games in opposition to the membership that drafted him and made two excellent catches in left field on Thursday.
Having fun with perfect field on Friday, Hope nearly made one more diving rob on a sinking line pressure in the eighth but modified into unable to corral it. While it’s Hope’s bat that has scouts happy about his general doable, how the younger outfielder develops as a defender — especially if he can deal with heart field — might per chance perhaps well stop up being the variation between him being a genuinely perfect prospect and a truly elite one.
The ABS field diagram has arrived Extra vital than the performance of any person participant modified into the reliable introduction of the ABS (computerized ball-strike) field diagram, which MLB previewed earlier this week throughout the annual spring media day. Roughly 60% of video games this spring will characteristic the Hawkeye tracking skills, with each and every team allowed to field two ball/strike calls per game, maintaining challenges in perpetuity if worthwhile.
Camelback Ranch is without doubt one of many ballparks that can characteristic ABS this spring, and it didn’t take prolonged to seem on the diagram in motion. Within the underside of the first inning Thursday, Cubs starter Cody Poteet threw a fastball in an 0-1 depend to Max Muncy that dwelling plate umpire Tony Randazzo dominated low for a ball. Poteet at present tapped his head to signal a field, which caused a evaluation. Lower than 20 seconds later, the pitch’s put of living modified into displayed on the video board, showing that it modified into indeed in the strike zone, and Randazzo announced over the PA diagram that the decision modified into overturned, making the depend 0-2. Muncy went on to strike out.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts had joked pregame that the team modified into going to suppose Muncy he wasn’t allowed to field any calls since the third baseman is basically the most frequent critic of the strike zone. Then Muncy coincidentally chanced on himself on the opposite stop of the equation.
“Freddie [Freeman] mentioned that I modified into banned from being ready to field, so then I attain abet in right here, and he’s ready at my locker laughing at my face that I modified into the one who received challenged on,” Muncy mentioned in a while.
With the topic diagram strictly in the testing section, Counsell mentioned he isn’t currently fascinated by any doable approach interesting this unique ingredient. However he additionally acknowledged that for its debut, the diagram labored reasonably seamlessly and that he can watch the benefits from an leisure standpoint.
“It’s no longer disruptive to the plod with the hotfoot of the game,” Counsell mentioned. “And I hiss sooner or later the fans will opt up pleasure from the scoreboard piece of it.”