April 25--Kris Bryant had a playful message to Dexter Fowler every time Fowler visited his batting cage in Las Vegas last winter.
"I was on Dexter," Bryant smiled. "I'd ask him, 'when are you going to sign back with us?' "
Fowler didn't have an answer, but his primary focus on preparing for the 2016 season despite not knowing his destination until late February has given the Cubs an incredible return on their investment as their switch-hitting leadoff batter.
"I was just preparing for a season," Fowler said. "I didn't know where I was going to be. I knew I had to prepare for one.
"(Agent) Casey Close took care of the contract. I got in shape."
The 18 pounds of muscle that the 6-foot-4 Fowler added to his lean body is a major reason for his impressive start.
Fowler, 30, is second in the majors with a .506 on-base percentage and ranks second in the National League with a .385 batting average.
Although Fowler said he worked on both sides of the plate last winter, he and others acknowledge he has possessed better balance at the plate -- primarily from the left side.
"He's been a natural right-handed hitter all though high school and taught himself how to hit left handed (in pro ball)," Cubs hitting coach John Mallee said. "It's a work in progress as you go. He always had the plate discipline, but he's using his legs so much better.
"His hip-rotation has improved so much, and it's allowed his path to clean up and allow him to get to more pitches in the strike zone, and the ball is coming off his bat great."
Fowler is batting .388 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 49 at-bats from the left side after batting only .228 from the left side last season.
Fowler credits much of his improvement to working with personal trainer Mike Robinson. The results have been so impressive that Fowler continues to work with Robinson in Chicago.
"I definitely put on good weight," said Fowler, who also consulted a nutritionist. "I worked on my legs and everything else. It's about balance.
"It's worked out well. There's a time for everything. I feel a lot better."
Despite not signing with the Cubs until during the second full-squad workout, Fowler continued his workouts as if he were in a spring training camp until he and Robinson drove from Las Vegas to Mesa to sign a one-year, $13 million contact ($5 million of which is a buyout in the likely event he opts for free agency after the 2016 season).
"We knew a decision would be coming up," Fowler recalled. "We knew it would be instant. Casey told me, 'just be ready.' "
Fowler said shortly after re-joining the Cubs that he always plays with a chip on shoulder, magnified by his late signing following controversial negotiations with the Orioles.
But Bryant thought Fowler was on a mission from the start of the off-season.
"His work ethic is extremely good," Bryant said. "His schedule is very strict, so I made my schedule around his when he was coming over to hit with me. He looked like he was ready to go.
"He played very well last year, but he's taken it to another level this year."
mgonzales@tribpub.com
