On the last Saturday of Spring Training, Jameson Taillon organized a dinner at Steak 44 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Every pitcher in camp attended, along with the catching corps.

“It was a lot of fun just to get to be together away from the field and kinda spend that time bonding,” rookie starter Jordan Wicks said.

Earlier in camp, outfielder David Peralta — a non-roster invitee who isn’t on the active roster as he recovers from an injury — organized a dinner himself for all the Latin American players in camp.

Héctor Neris had his feast with all the Cubs’ Latin American minor leaguers.

Away from the field a group of Cubs players, including Wicks and Taillon, eagerly awaited the arrival of the new Fortnite season, so they could play the video game together.

In camp, before workouts began for the day, new manager Craig Counsell held player Q&A’s — one player would step up in the clubhouse, hold court and answer anything his teams wanted to inquire about.

“I really like it,” Nico Hoerner said. “Even guys that I’ve played with for a long time and I feel like I know well, you still kinda like hearing new things based on what guys ask or what guys choose to share.”

It’s part of the atmosphere Counsell is trying to build as the new leader of the team — an environment predicated on chemistry and trust. In Milwaukee, Counsell had to maximize what he had — the Brewers were never going to be shopping in the upper markets of the free agent market. So there was a need to rely on who was already in the organization.

That’s where that basis started.

“You still have to trust your players,” Counsell said at his introductory press conference. “And you still have to be willing to trust your players and trust your great players.”

That was shown throughout camp. Each day had a plan and purpose and Counsell would have the team run through fundamental, team-wide drills. They weren’t done to teach something new, but rather reinforce concepts.

“It might seem like small things, but probably make a difference in a game or two over the course of a season,” Hoerner said.

And in those drills, Counsell was active. He would serve as a coach, barking out instructions. He’d act as a teacher, offering trivia questions in the drills. And he’d operate as a baserunner in drills, running from base to base in a rundown drill.

“It’s awesome,” Wicks said. “You just feel more connected to your manager, and you just feel like he’s in the fight with you, because he is and he’s out there every day.”

It all comes down to Counsell’s confidence in his players, something already relevant to his players.

“I really appreciate the trust that he puts into his staff and the players,” Hoerner said. “Obviously, [he] has his own beliefs and things that he’s going to value and put forward, but also really trusts the staff to take care of their own roles and knows that it takes the strength of the entire group from our best players through the entire staff and so on.”

That’s needed over the course of a baseball season. Counsell’s strength has always been beyond maximizing matchups or navigating a bullpen. His ability to connect with everyone in the organization is what impressed the Cubs and made them believe he was the right person to lead the organization.

And that’s centered on chemistry.

“I think in the clubhouse, team chemistry is such a big thing,” Cody Bellinger said. “It was great last year and this year it’s just as good if not even better. Just that we’re all getting together and trying to accomplish the same goal. With that, we’re all having a great time with it.”