MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins walked over to an entrance in the back of the team’s complex on Friday morning and called out to Rick Sutcliffe.
“Hey, where’s your friend?” Jenkins said with a smile.
A moment later, NBA icon Charles Barkley emerged from the building, wearing a green track suit and a blue Spring Training Cubs cap. Soon, Jenkins, Sutcliffe and Barkley were swapping stories and laughing on the back patio as the day’s workout began for Chicago. They then made their way around the fields, chatting with players and staff along the way.
Barkley was a guest of Sutcliffe -- a Cubs great, 1984 National League Cy Young Award winner and broadcaster -- but also has a history with manager Craig Counsell. The Cubs’ skipper was thrilled to have the legendary basketball star and NBA broadcaster on hand for the day.
“He sat down in my office for a half an hour,” Counsell said. “It was great. He’s wonderful -- a wonderful heart. I think that’s the thing that sticks out the most. He’s a big deal.”
WIGGINS SHOWS OFF STUFF IN LIVE BP
Jaxon Wiggins took the mound on Field 6 on Friday morning and offered a glimpse into why he has quickly climbed to No. 58 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.
Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong were among Chicago’s big league hitters to step in against Wiggins, who generated a few feeble swings in the live batting practice session. The 24-year-old Wiggins is in camp as a non-roster invitee after posting a 2.19 ERA with 97 strikeouts and 36 walks in 78 innings across three levels (High-A, Double-A and Triple-A) last season.
“[It’s his] first big league camp,” Counsell said. “This is a camp for him to learn, listen, pick things up, improve routines from watching older players who have had a lot of success and go about their business. And then it’s just pick things up there, set up a good foundation for the future, set up a good foundation for the season and go from there.
“He made a lot of progress last year and to a point where, another step forward, and he’s certainly in the conversation.”
BALLESTEROS, BETHANCOURT STILL ABSENT
Catchers Moisés Ballesteros (Venezuela) and Christian Bethancourt (Panama) have yet to report to Cubs camp due to respective visa issues. Righty Javier Assad (Mexico) arrived in camp on Thursday after dealing with a slight delay of his own.
Bethancourt is in the fold as a non-roster invitee to offer veteran depth, while Ballesteros (No. 55 on the Top 100) is trying to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster as a designated hitter and part-timer behind Major League catchers Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya. While this is an important spring for Ballesteros in that regard, Counsell said he is “not worried” about the situation right now.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Counsell said. “We’re working hard, but it’s out of our control a little bit. We’re doing everything we can on our end, he’s doing everything he can on his end.”
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC DEPARTURES
The Cubs noted that outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who is playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, is scheduled to leave on Feb. 23 for the tournament. The rest of the 40-man players participating in the Classic (Matthew Boyd, Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong with Team USA; Daniel Palencia with Venezuela; Amaya with Panama; Jameson Taillon with Canada; and Assad with Mexico) are slated to leave on Feb. 28.
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“This is what young starting pitchers look like, I think. That’s what we see. He’s just got to get a little more consistent. Execute at a little higher level. Be competitive with a bigger percentage of pitches. There’s not necessarily pitch development in terms of new pitches that needs to happen. It’s just harness his stuff.” -- Counsell, on Wiggins