3 takeaways from Chicago Cubs camp, including Caleb Kilian’s impressive spring debut and David Bote’s hot start

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Split-squad games provide ample opportunities for players trying to make an impression.

The Chicago Cubs got a look at five non-roster relievers and two of the pitchers vying for a spot in the opening-day bullpen during their 12-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in Mesa and a 3-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Scottsdale.

Here are three takeaways from the games.

At one point last year, right-hander Caleb Kilian was the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, part of a hopeful future for an organization that endured another losing season.

Three starts in June, Kilian’s first in the majors, were rocky. His shaky command led to 12 walks and 11 hits in 11⅓ innings while striking out nine. He returned to Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a 5.37 ERA and walked 78 in 63⅔ innings over his final 16 starts.

Pitching in a game for the first time since the end of the season, Kilian threw two perfect innings Monday against the Diamondbacks. He threw 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes, tallying both of his strikeouts on swings: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on a 96 mph fastball up and out of the zone and Evan Longoria on a 95 mph sinker.

“My goal was to fill up the zone, draw some weak contact and let the players make some plays behind me, and that’s what happened,” Kilian said. “Try to build from it. Stay healthy, improve, fill up the zone and get stretched out a little more.”

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Kilian’s four-seam fastball sat between 95.2 and 96.4 mph, and his two-seam fastball ranged between 93.1 and 97.1 mph. When he incorporated his curveball, Arizona hitters were continuously off with early swings that led to foul balls and a weak flyout to center.

“That’s huge,” Kilian said. “Being able to command the fastball well, especially up, makes the curveball look a lot better. I can balance it at times. And then landing the curveball as well early helps them respect it so they can swing at it later in the dirt.”

The Cubs showed how willing they were in 2022 to give opportunities to younger pitchers, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Kilian. Although he projects to begin the season at Triple A, it would not be a surprise to see Kilian, 25, start for the Cubs at some point this season.

“It’s huge. I mean, that’s all of our goals,” Kilian said. “We want to pitch in the big leagues and they’re not afraid to call you up. So you’ve got to be ready for that moment when it happens.”

When the Cubs outrighted Bote off the 40-man roster in November, he became the odd man out among their infielders. And that was before they signed shortstop Dansby Swanson to a seven-year contract.

Bote, who turns 30 in April, is owed $4 million this year even if he spends the whole season at Iowa. He also is set to receive $5.5 million next season, the last of his guaranteed five-year, $15 million extension he signed in April 2019. The deal includes club options for 2025 and 2026 with a $1 million buyout for each year.

Bote is 4-for-6 through three games with a walk, a double, a home run and four RBIs.

“It’s my goal every year, continue to be a better version of myself, know myself a little more and go out there and play,” Bote said Monday.

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His best path to the majors this year likely would come in another organization if the Cubs find a way to move him. Bote appeared in only 41 games for the Cubs in 2022, hitting .259 with a .315 on-base percentage and 109 OPS+ in 127 plate appearances.

He missed the first 70 games as he recovered from offseason left shoulder surgery and by August was optioned to Iowa before getting recalled during the final month. As he reflected on the last year, Bote said each season is challenging in its own way.

“Honestly, it kind of brought me back to my faith a little bit,” Bote said. “We’re working through a lot just in life, more than baseball itself, but that kind of bleeds over into baseball.

“I guess that’s just my approach mentally of being like, hey, at the end of the day, whether I do well or do poorly, to emulate Jesus … regardless of my faults, my sins and all those things. But that’s just where I’m at mentally, being able to play in freedom in that whether I have success or don’t.”

Steele’s arm fatigue isn’t keeping him down long. The left-hander was scratched from Sunday’s start but is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday and remains on track for his next outing.

He has dealt with this before during the offseason and is fine after taking a couple of days off. His arm felt a little tired while throwing a short bullpen Friday.

Steele is already built up to three innings and isn’t worried about missing his first spring training start.

“I definitely worked hard this offseason to get to where I am today,” Steele said. “Made sense for us to not press the gas pedal because I’m already in a really good spot. … It just made sense not to send me out there and then make something worse and then you sit back even longer injured.”