CHICAGO (CBS) – Unlike last year, longtime Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks was able to start putting in the work right away as pitchers and catchers reported this week to Spring Training.

Since before the Cubs’ World Series run in 2016, Hendricks has been a constant, but so much has changed in a year. Last February, he was still recovering from a shoulder injury that cost him the start of the season.

“I just wanted to be that guy again taking the ball every fifth day and being a consistent force for my teammates and giving us a chance to win,” Hendricks said. “It was so disappointing just not being able to play and doing what I loved for that long. So yeah, standing here now this time, being fully healthy, ready to go, having a normal spring ahead of me, it’s way better.”

The last remaining member of the Cubs’ championship team has been getting to know a new manager in Craig Counsell, who not only replaced his old manager, but a friend and former teammate in David Ross.

“He’s done everything for me in my career man. I can’t thank him enough,” Hendricks said of Ross. “On the other side of that, you see what we got with bringing in Craig. It’s amazing. Watching him on the other side with the Brewers for that many years. He was a pain in our butt man, for a long time. So I’m already picking his brain saying, ‘What do you got for me? What are you guys seeing off for me?’ You know, and trying to get better in that way.”

Counsell added, “When you compete against someone and have done it for a long time, you’re kind of always curious as to their perspective and vice versa. So those are certainly useful conversations and you use those to just pick up like really little things.”

Counsell understands Hendricks’ value goes beyond taking the ball every fifth day. He called Hendricks a great teammate, but Counsell knows how effective the veteran is on the mound.

The Cubs won five of the seven games he started against Counsell’s Brewers over the last two seasons when Hendricks was on the mound.