My first day in the Cubs’ spring-training camp began with a confession by Tom Trebelhorn. It may be a good omen for the long season ahead.
Said Trebelhorn: “I made a critical error. I demonstrated to the boys how to dive back into first base.”
Which, more than anything, reveals Trebelhorn’s enthusiasm for his newest assignment: managing the usually forlorn Cubs, who are coming off four consecutive fourth-place finishes.
Trebelhorn has been saying the Cubs will run more, bunt more and generally be more active on the basepaths, a commendable idea. But it also reminds me of the old baseball dictum “You Can’t Steal First Base.” So convinced of this truism, Jimmie Dykes, the long-time White Sox manager, used it as the title of his autobiography.
Whatever, the Cubs, running or otherwise, appear to have a good enough offense. It’s the pitching that needs repair.
And so I inquired about Dan Plesac, the veteran left-handed reliever who has encountered hard times. Last season, Plesac had a 4.74 earned-run average, extremely high for a reliever considering that many of the runs scored while he is on the mound are charged to the previous pitcher.
Trebelhorn managed Plesac when both were with the Milwaukee Brewers and Plesac was among the major leagues’ most effective closers. He had 110 saves, an average of 28 per season, during a four-year sequence that began in 1987.
Trebelhorn said he and pitching coach Moe Drabowsky are working on bolstering Plesac’s self-esteem.
“He’s probably lost an edge in self-confidence,” Trebelhorn observed. “He’s built his arm back to where it was before he hurt his shoulder. And now it’s our job to restore his confidence. Don’t forget, he’s had a couple of ineffective seasons.”
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For the next 10 minutes, Trebelhorn, who understands what is sometimes described as “the inside of the inside,” chewed on the importance of a positive mental approach as it applies to major-league baseball.
“It can be crucial,” he said. “Two pitchers can throw the exact same pitch to the same batter. The batter will hit one pitch, and swing and miss the other pitch, though it’s the very same pitch. It happens all the time. The difference is a matter of respect.
“Nolan Ryan was one of the toughest guys to hit, but he got away with a lot of bad pitches because of the intimidation factor. Still, there were some ordinary hitters who owned Ryan. I’m sure it was mental. They weren’t intimidated.
“I had a player in Milwaukee, Billy Joe Robidoux, who was dynamite against Mitch Williams. By all odds, Billy Joe shouldn’t have had a chance: a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed power hitter. But Mitch Williams couldn’t get him out.”
Syd Thrift, the Cubs assistant general manager, agreed. A wise old baseball owl, Thrift said: “The most difficult thing to overcome is self-doubt.”
Plesac was on the field working out under the watchful eye of Drabowsky, the former Cub pitcher who has succeeded Billy Connors as the club’s pitching coach.
“He’s got a good mindset,” Drabowsky said, speaking of Plesac. “He’s very focused. I’m expecting him to have a productive season.”
Plesac, 32, is starting his ninth major-league season and insisted he is fully recovered from his shoulder injury.
“There is nothing worse than being mediocre, especially after having had success,” he said. “Last year was terrible, very disappointing.”
Plesac joined the Cubs as a free agent before last season. He signed a two-year contract for a total of $1.2 million-$700,000 less than he was offered by the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.
“I just wanted to play in Wrigley Field,” Plesac explained. “It’s a place full of electricity; I can’t imagine there being a better place to play.”
I asked if he ever thinks about his glory years with the Brewers.
“I think about it every day,” he replied. “I know I don’t throw as hard as I did, but I know I have a lot of productive years left.”
I am not a pitching coach and have no desires in that direction, but it seems to me that Plesac doesn’t lack confidence as much as concentration.
As Drabowsky said, “He has to give thought and visualization prior to action.”
I have known Drabowsky since he was a young pitcher and was unaware his vocabulary had grown to such heroic proportions. But I think he was saying the same thing: More concentration is necessary.