Cubs' Kyle Hendricks looks to return to form; White Sox pitcher Davis Martin focuses on improving
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cubs are hopeful pitcher Kyle Hendricks will be ready to pitch fairly early in the season. CBS 2's Marshall Harris checks in with "The Professor" hoping for a bounce-back season, while a White Sox hurler hopes to build off a promising rookie year.
As Kyle Hendricks looks around Sloan Park for 2016 World Series teammates, he realizes there's no one left playing on the team, except him.
"It is weird. When you kind of think back on it and some of the memories it can feel long. But if you're just in the moment It's amazing how quick things go by," says Hendricks.
The last year did not fly by for Hendricks, who's worked his way back from a shoulder injury that cost him the final three months of last season.
"That was the toughest part. I think almost five or six months without throwing, without touching the baseball. I've never done that in my whole life, so this is what I love to do."
Hendricks will throw off the mound for the first time since that injury next week and doesn't believe he'll miss more than the first 4-6 weeks of the season. One reason he's not rushing things, he wants to make sure he comes back healthier than ever.
"I obviously have not been who I wanted to be the last couple of years. You want to go out there and prove to yourself what you can do but again it helps a lot having these guys around you we bring in guys who we've brought in and we see the group who we've put together it makes it easy to get excited and I have to be a part of this."
Heading into his 10th season with the Cubs, Hendricks likes the idea of sticking beyond the final year of his contract.
"That's a goal of mine. I would love to stay here. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. At the end of the day that's something hard to focus on. I'm trying to take care of what I can control. I want to be who I am I want to get back on that winning way, being that guy every fifth day for my team. And just winning ballgames out there."
Meanwhile, in Sox camp in Glendale - last season the White Sox employed rookie pitcher Davis Martin in a variety of roles as he spent time in their rotation, the bullpen, and the minor leagues. Now Martin has Major League experience and even some success under his belt. After 27 starts and 140 plus innings combined in Double-A, Triple-A and the big leagues last season, he's looking for even more growth this season.
"Last year, I always joked around where am I sleeping tonight. And, just making light of situation being flexible having your routine. Doesn't matter if you're in Triple-A or the big leagues, you can kind of take that and really develop into that five-day rotation and do what I need to do and what can I control and kind of throw those away and once that routine was built it kind of got a lot smoother," says Davis Martin.
Last year's rookie experience has Martin better prepared to do whatever he's asked this time around. Even if he doesn't make the starting rotation, he understands he will likely get the call to start at some point this season.