MESA, Ariz. – Loop around the back of the Cubs’ main practice field, onto the spring training complex’ patio, and the view across the agility field will be far different from years past.
Where there once was just more grass, leading out to the bullpens and half field, now there stands an 18,000-square foot pitching and hitting lab.
It extends nearly the length of the agility field, emblazoned with two different Cubs logos and the team name in the middle.
“Camp’s never looked better,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said earlier this spring.
His opinion, of course, doesn’t matter nearly as much as the players and coaches who are using the facilities. Their reviews on the new lab have been mostly glowing. There were some early growing pains regarding the layout, but nothing that couldn’t be ironed out.
The project, which also includes renovations to the main building, was funded by the City of Mesa as part of a long-standing facilities agreement, according to the team. The complex and stadium also host a range of events outside of spring training.
The 6,400-square foot addition to the main training center includes a female staff locker room, umpire locker room and multi-use office and meeting space.
The new lab houses two Trajekt pitching machines, force plate mound technology, and plenty of other gadgets that measure biomechanical and pitch data. With flexible setups for the batting cages and mounds, players and coaches can arrange the space based on their needs.
“The new building is incredible,” second baseman Nico Hoener said. “It’s a really huge difference. Just thinking about how far tech and the ways that training in baseball have come even since I’ve been with the Cubs, it’s really impressive. And it creates every opportunity for us to get ready for the season. And it’s a great space.”
The Cubs were early adopters of the Trajekt pitching machines, which can be set to mimic specific pitchers’ arsenals. And Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said the software and video quality has continued to improve through the years.
“We’ve been using them a lot more this spring than we had in the past,” Kelly said “And I think that’s just kind of the evolution of the game, and where we’re going, and how comfortable our guys are getting with tech. And just having those machines accessible, guys are using them more.”
The pitchers have long had access to an array of technology in their old pitching lab. But the new space and tech has a nicer finish to it.
Along with pitch data, the Cubs have been leaning into force plate data as an important tool for honing delivery efficiency, which can both improve performance and health.
“You can see how much force you’re putting into the mound, you can see how much force you’re accepting with your land leg,” Taillon said. “They can make skeletons of my body from my lab a week ago, compared to last year, compared to the year before, and they can overlay it all and show you, is your arm longer? Are you getting deeper into your back leg? Those kinds of things. It’s pretty cool.”
Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd sees that ability to track movement with precision as a draw for players at all stages of their careers.
“For a lot of these younger guys,” he said, “it’s like, ‘Hey, look at these timestamps of where you are. This is where you were really good. Let’s try to go back and replicate this.’ Or, ‘Look at how far you’ve grown,’ little things like that.
“You think of someone that wants to come here and revitalize their career, it could be extremely beneficial.”
Not to mention, the new lab is temperature-controlled, which will be an especially big deal for players who are rehabbing in Arizona during the summer, when temperatures can surpass 110 degrees for days on end.
“It seems super state of the art,” said Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon, who has also played for the Pirates and Yankees. “I haven’t played a ton of places, but it seems like we have to be the top couple in the game.”
