The Cubs have not won a spring contest.
The Joe Maddon era would seem to sputter out of the gate; but in reality, spring training games are meaningless exhibitions where players are trying to sharpen skill sets prior to the real season. Maddon's laid back attitude seems to fall into this philosophy.
However, there have been a few managers in the past who wanted their spring squads to play hard and win. They believed that demanding wins in spring games set the clubhouse tone for an entire season. Winning is expected no matter even if the line up card was filled with replacement level players.
There is something to take away from the hard line approach to setting a winning culture.
The Cubs have had a problem maintaining a winning attitude. In New York, any new Yankee is told from day one that they are expected to win. Period. The Cubs have been so bad for so long, with little accountability, that a culture of losing (the status quo) can set in. In fact, some writers remarked just a few years ago that the Cubs tanking to rebuild could have negative consequences on young players like Castro and Rizzo.
Players are human beings. Human beings, when given even choices, will usually take the easier path. In a clubhouse, when a team expects to lose, players set about in their mind, routine and training that any extra effort is not going to change things. So long as they know they will get their major league paycheck no matter what, players will coast as much as possible.
It is open competition and drive that helps bring a team up to a championship level. If you know that there is someone who can take your job (at any moment), a player has the incentive to do better.
The Cubs still lack the depth to create such position competitions. So the regular starters are not going to be pushed hard until the minor league system starts producing a steady stream of quality talent.
