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Here are five takeaways from the Cubs’ first full-squad workout Monday:

1. Ben Zobrist didn’t attend Monday’s workout.

Ben Zobrist didn’t attend Monday’s first full-squad workout because of an excused absence. The Cubs said he was attending to a personal matter and weren’t sure when he would arrive.

The switch-hitting Zobrist, 37, is coming off one of his best seasons, in which he batted .305 with a .378 on-base percentage in 139 games.

Maddon plans to discuss a schedule with Zobrist, who was sidelined for the first 10 days of 2018 spring training because of lower-back stiffness. Zobrist’s absence will allow Ian Happ and David Bote to get more playing time at second base.

2. Cubs send message to players in response to dire forecast.

The Cubs’ daily practice schedule often includes a slogan or thought of the day that is posted on a clubhouse wall.

Monday’s message was “80-82 5TH PLACE IN THE CENTRAL” — PECOTA.

The line was Fangraphs’ forecast for the Cubs to finish last in the National League Central.

“Yeah, and Bryce Harper is going to the Cubs,” Anthony Rizzo quipped.

Former bench coach Brandon Hyde used to post the slogans, which had a more positive tone.

“I promise you, I’ll forget about (prediction) that early,” Maddon said. “The motivation is that you got eliminated early last year. The motivation is that you really want to prove something from last year.”

3. Expect catcher Willson Contreras to handle another heavy workload.

Willson Contreras could stay on the same routine that led to him starting 123 games and ending up with a major-league-leading 1,109 2/3 innings caught in 2018.

“I really don’t think it was a fatigue factor, although you can argue when a guy doesn’t hit he probably is a little tired,” Maddon said of Contreras’ second-half slump. “His tiredness is more mental than physical.”

Maddon would like to stick with a plan that involves Contreras starting three consecutive games and occasionally a fourt.

Contreras started on four consecutive days five times in 2018.

“Go through each team and see how satisfied they were with their catching,” Maddon said.

Contreras batted .279 in the first half and was selected to the NL All-Star team but batted .200 with a .294 slugging percentage in the second half.

4. Joe Maddon expresses “ton of respect” for Bruce Bochy.

Joe Maddon paid tribute to Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will retire after the 2019 season.

Maddon’s association with Bochy dates to the early 1990s when Bochy was a manager in the Class A California League and Maddon was a roving instructor in the Angels organization.

“He’s got a great way about him,” Maddon said. “He’s got a really great bedside manner. He really sees things of the moment. You saw that.”

Maddon’s respect for Bochy extends from his managing of the bullpen to accommodating a photo request for his son Joey.

Maddon believes if the Cubs hadn’t rallied in the ninth inning to beat Bochy’s Giants in the fourth game of the 2016 NL Division Series, “it still might be 109 or 110 or 111 (years since Cubs won a World Series title). That game there might have been the biggest game I’ve been involved with since being a Cub.”

5. Wet weather limits Cubs.

The Cubs adjusted to the wet conditions that curtailed some of their first full-squad workout.

They performed some baserunning drills, and hitters tracked pitches before hitting batting practice off the coaches.

“I thought we actually did a lot for the day in spite of the weather,” Maddon said.

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Twitter @MDGonzales

 
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