MESA, Ariz. — For new Cubs players, spring training is as much for ramping up as it is for learning fresh surroundings.

That’s what made Monday’s outing so crucial for lefty starter Matthew Boyd.

Boyd has been around the Cubs facility for a bit now, but no bullpen session or live batting practice can compete with going against a different team in a game setting.

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That environment is crucial for building a rapport with a batterymate, in this case, Miguel Amaya.

“It was awesome to work with Miggy,” Boyd said after tossing 2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts in his Cactus League debut. “There’s so many things you talk about, work with, but it’s awesome to just work through the sequencing and the pitch calling and game situations. And that felt good to get back on the mound and do it in the Cubs uniform.”

Despite an up-and-down season at the plate — Amaya struggled before dropping his leg kick and producing better results offensively — he was lauded for his game-calling and defense.

Boyd saw a glimpse of it firsthand. Between his 2 innings of work, the 34-year-old chatted with his 25-year-old catcher and picked his brain about what was and wasn’t working against the Padres. It’s in those moments where a battery can combine to get on the same page and attack hitters.

“For instance, the slider today, it was a little flatter than I would have liked,” Boyd said. “But that’s what happens when that’s what you’re working on stuff this time of year, right?

“So, he’s giving me feedback like, ‘Hey, great location, shape was a little different or stuff like that.”

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It immediately showed Boyd that Amaya knows what he’s doing back there, so when the games count for real, he can trust that the Panamanian backstop will do what’s best. And that should only continue to improve with more repetition, too.  

“He’s a good listener,” Boyd said. “Anyone that listens is — it’s kind of a precursor to wisdom and that’s something that at his age I wish I could have been a listener like that.

“He is wise beyond his years. It’s a lot of fun to work with him.