Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon opened a window into his offseason program for fans, periodically posting training videos to social media.
It started in late October. Taillon posted a video to X, formerly known as Twitter, of himself set up in front of a wall with a weighted ball in his hand. He inched his front foot forward little by little before finally picking it up to throw.
“A new favorite weighted ball drill,” he wrote in part, “finding that backside tension and angle and lifting into it/holding it throughout the delivery.”
A couple weeks later, he carried a version of that drill into his throwing program with a regular baseball.
“Good habits start forming now,” he wrote, “excited to get it rockin!”
Taillon was open last year about his frustrations with his early performance in his first season with the Cubs. He’d hoped his introduction to the club — after signing a four-year, $68 million contact around this time last year — would have been less of a roller coaster. But now that he’s come out on the other side, he’s motivated to carry his second-half success into Year 2 of his Cubs tenure.
This offseason, the Cubs have yet to add to their rotation, an area that became more of a priority when Marcus Stroman opted out of the last year of his contract. But they also can project more consistency from Taillon, who is a big part of their plans for the next few seasons.
Back to work! Ready to get after it and make positive changes/adjustments, and come back stronger! A new favorite weighted ball drill- finding that backside tension and angle and lifting into it/holding it throughout the delivery pic.twitter.com/9w9jFSnX86
— Jameson Taillon (@JTaillon50) October 30, 2023
He, Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ are all under contract through 2026. Taillon also pointed out that he’s now close with young pitchers Jordan Wicks and Hayden Wesneski. Young catcher Miguel Amaya caught almost half his games.
“Now we go into spring training next year just a year closer and tighter,” Taillon said in a conversation with the Sun-Times at the end of the season. “ And I feel like that’s how you really build a winning environment.”
Taillon’s first season with the Cubs can be divided in half at his July 7 start against the Yankees, his former team.
Taillon felt good coming out of spring training. But then through his first 14 starts, he posted a 6.93 ERA. It was a mixture of bad luck, a groin injury, and some over-adjusting. Taillon’s contract weighed on him — not necessarily because of the money the team invested, but rather the responsibility that came with a team bringing him in to be a stabilizing force. He was putting pressure on himself to live up to his side of the deal.
“Once I started feeling comfortable and things started clicking again, it was like all that goes out the window,” Taillon said. “And it’s like, ‘Alright, now we’ve got our lane that we need to be in.”
He threw eight shutout innings at Yankee Stadium in what proved to be a turning point and recorded a 3.38 ERA the rest of the way.
“This has been probably the most mentally challenging year in my career, and every day I still enjoyed showing up,” Taillon said. “And I’ve had good years, and I didn’t enjoy showing up. So, that should say everything about this team and this culture, the coaches and catchers — everyone’s just so fun to show up and work with.”
The consistency of the coaching staff, despite the Cubs’ decision to oust David Ross in favor of Craig Counsell, should prove to be an advantage. Taillon applauded pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos and bullpen coach Chris Young for their guidance through his struggles.
Though the Cubs parted ways with Young after the season – before Counsell’s hire – Hottovy and Moskos will be familiar faces on the staff next year. And impending new bullpen coach Darren Holmes is an intriguing fit, bringing with him both playing experience from the 90’s and 2000s, and a focus on biomechanics in his coaching career.
“Something that was really nice is that when I was struggling, they always had something for me that made it seem like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Taillon said. “... For someone who’s very process-oriented, it makes it very nice to show up and have something to work towards.”
Hottovy or Moskos always had a drill on hand or something to try during a bullpen session. Now, they have that foundation to build on. Taillon found a routine that worked at the end of last season, and his coaches know which drills and exercises are the most effective.
“I feel like we’re all on the same page,” Taillon said. “So now I can take this into the next year, and years going forward.”
NOTE: On Thursday, the Cubs announced three minor-league deals with invitations to major-league spring training. They agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Thomas Pannone and catchers Jorge Alfaro and Joe Hudson. The team had yet to finalize any major-league acquisitions this offseason.
