Longtime manager Craig Counsell enjoying newness of spring training with the Cubs

John Antonoff / For the Sun-Times

MESA, Ariz. – Five days into his first spring training with the Cubs, manager Craig Counsell is having fun.

“The newness to it has been really fun for me,” he said Sunday, the day before the first full squad workout. “I'm enjoying what we're doing. Full squad workouts are a new challenge for the coaching staff. And we add some new energy into the building with all the position players.”

His answer served to circumvent the question of whether he was hoping for more player additions this spring. But it also carried over a theme from his introductory news conference. Back in November, he said he was looking forward to a new challenge, after managing the Brewers for the past nine years.

“I think managing is managing,” he said Sunday. “But there's differences that require me to be better. And I think that's fun. … Because I'm starting new relationships, it's important that I am good in developing that and starting that out. That's happening right now, and it's really important.”

The Cubs, with what second baseman Nico Hoerner called ‘‘a nice, healthy sense of urgency,” have had players in and out of their Arizona facilities all offseason. And even though Monday marks the first official full squad workout, every position player has worked out at the complex this past week.

Counsell will address the group Monday, but he again downplayed the importance of motivational speeches like the ones depicted in sports movies.

“I really think it's how do we interact every day that becomes the motivation,” he said. “We're not filming a movie tomorrow.”

Rotation competition

Counsell laughed off a question about his opening day starter, a classic spring training question that few managers answer this early.

“I think you enjoy waiting,” Counsell joked.

The more pressing battle throughout camp, however, will be for the fifth rotation spot. At this point, Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon are penciled into rotation spots, although not necessarily in that order.

Counsell doesn’t seem to be narrowing the pool for the final spot yet.

“There's a number of guys,” he said. “And I think the way the bullpen shakes out could play into it as well. It's a name and a spot we're going to get fixated on in spring training. And it's one of those – then we're on April 10, and we've gone a different direction. We know we need more than five starters.”

Sights and sounds

Counsell gathered the catchers to talk about plays at the plate. He said he went over the value of the play. He acknowledged that it’s a hard play for the catcher, but it can be game-changing.

“Frankly, a little motivation for the spring training drill and why we do it and why it's important,” he said later.

It was an example of something players and coaches had already noticed: his focus on intent.