Wicks outlines refreshed '25 goal: 'Get back to who I am'

MESA, Ariz. – The third pitch that Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks fired in his Cactus League debut this spring rocketed off the bat of Dodgers star Mookie Betts, scorching the left side of the Sloan Park infield. Wicks turned and watched shortstop Dansby Swanson then pull off one of his signature plays on Friday afternoon.

Swanson quickly glided into the hole to his right, did a quick slide-and-snag of the grounder, and swiftly fired the ball across the diamond for an out.

“I told him, I said, ‘I didn't want to start you with an easy one,’” Wicks said with a laugh after his part in the 7-3 win against the Dodgers. “But I mean, typical Dansby. Patented slide.”

It was also Exhibit A for reinforcing one of Wicks’ primary goals for the season ahead. The left-hander admits that he spent too much time in last year's injury-marred campaign worrying about striking hitters out. Wicks wants to get back to the basics of outsmarting hitters and trusting his defense – an approach that fueled his rapid climb to the Majors.

Wicks also knows it is imperative this spring to start showing off the results of an offseason built on getting in better shape and altering his mental approach. As things currently stand, the Opening Day rotation may not have room for the 25-year-old lefty, who made the roster out of camp a year ago before enduring a rough season.

“He had a great offseason from a training perspective,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And so he’s come into camp [off and] running, like really ready to go and with something to prove. And that’s a good space for him to be in.”

Wicks agreed with Counsell’s assessment.

“I definitely think I have something to prove this spring and this year as a whole,” Wicks said. “I felt like last year wasn’t anything close to the production I put in for my whole career before that. I feel like that was the first year people really saw me, and I feel like they didn’t see who I am. For me, I think it’s crucial to get back to who I am this year.”

The 25-year-old Wicks was a first-round pick for the Cubs in the 2021 Draft and got his first taste of the big leagues down the stretch in ‘23. After making the Opening Day rotation last year, Wicks saw his season first stall in late April with a left forearm strain. He was later sidelined with a right oblique issue that flared in June, and had a rib issue near the same area in September.

Between the health setbacks, Wicks posted a 5.48 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) with 42 strikeouts against 20 walks in 46 innings. Looking back, he believes he spent too much of the previous offseason focused on strength training. This past winter, he cleaned up his nutritional habits and got into Pilates, while still getting in his strength workouts.

“I felt like we were a lot more balanced in our approach,” Wicks said of his offseason program.

Wicks said he went back and watched a lot of his outings from last year, and a big takeaway was that he needs to get back to pounding the strike zone and trusting his defense. He added that he also studied a lot of Jameson Taillon’s outings, because the Cubs righty has admitted he did not feel completely like himself, but still put together an impressive season.

“Even he was like, ‘I didn’t feel great last year. My velocity wasn’t what it was,’” Wicks said. “But we got to see him go out and pitch every day. I feel like that’s what I’ve really got to get back to, just going out there and pitching and not trying to chase these things that, realistically, don’t matter.”

In Friday’s outing against the Dodgers, Wicks threw first-pitch strikes to five of the nine batters he faced and built up to 38 pitches in the two-inning start. The southpaw ended with two strikeouts and no walks, and no runs on the board.

Wicks brushed off a throwing error in the first inning by third baseman Jon Berti by inducing an inning-ending double play from Michael Conforto. In the second, Wicks found himself in a bases-loaded jam, but an outfield assist from Seiya Suzuki helped the pitcher find his way out of the frame unscathed.

“There’s no excuse for me,” Wicks said, “with the defense that we have behind us, to not let those guys work. My mentality has really changed.”