The pitchers who could make or break the Cubs’ chances in 1994 finally began reporting for spring training Sunday with one notable exception: Mike Morgan, the man manager Tom Trebelhorn calls his No. 1 starter.
Morgan, 34, was given permission to report late to camp because of an illness in his family. He told General Manager Larry Himes he probably would be out until at least next Friday.
Twenty other pitchers and five catchers reported to camp Sunday. They’ll undergo physical examinations Monday morning and have a 30-minute group meeting with Trebelhorn before their first workout Monday afternoon.
Position players aren’t scheduled to report until next Saturday.
“We’ve made a real strong commitment with our off-season conditioning program and our winter mini-camps,” Trebelhorn said. “If those things are in place and running the way they should, you don’t really need to report early.”
Trebelhorn, former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, enters his first season as a National League manager with a pitching staff that is, to say the least, questionable.
The Cubs were 10th in the league last year with a staff earned-run average of 4.18-and that despite the fact that they had the most effective bullpen in the league. Their starters were 58-62 with a 4.45 ERA, and the starter with the most victories, Greg Hibbard (15-11), was allowed to go to Seattle during the off-season.
“Our pitchers are a little better than people give us credit for,” Trebelhorn said. “Right now, I’d say our three goals this spring are to get better outfield defense, run the bases better and get our pitching worked out.”
Trebelhorn said he considers Morgan his No. 1 starter despite a 10-15 record last season. Morgan had a 4.03 ERA, but he threw a team-high 207 2/3 innings and was hurt by lack of support. The Cubs scored 26 runs in his 15 losses.
After Morgan, the rotation is much in doubt. Jose Guzman and newly acquired Willie Banks are expected to fill two spots. And Frank Castillo, coming off a dismal season (5-8, 4.84), could claim a spot by returning to his form of 1992 when he was 10-11 with a 3.46 ERA.
Even then, the fifth spot would be up for grabs with the early list of candidates including Jose Bautista, Larry Luebbers, Turk Wendell and Steve Trachsel.
“I’d like to think right now that Bautista would be my No. 1 setup guy in the bullpen,” Trebelhorn said.
