NEWSLETTER
No last minute snags, or changes, or confusion in the hiring of Rick Renteria as the Cubs’ new manager. It doesn’t look like there will be a press conference (I think Renteria may yet be unable to travel after his hip surgery), but there is an official press release:
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today named Rick Renteria the 53rd manager in franchise history, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with club options for the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 51-year-old Renteria joins the Cubs with 30 years of professional baseball experience, including the last six years as the bench coach (2011-13) and first base coach (2008-10) with the San Diego Padres. Renteria also brings with him eight years of experience as a minor league manager in the Padres and Marlins farm systems after a 13-year professional playing career that included all or part of five major league campaigns with the Pirates (1986), Mariners (1987-88) and Marlins (1993-94).
Prior to the 2013 season, Renteria served as manager for Team Mexico that went 1-2 in the World Baseball Classic in Pool D competition against the United States, Canada and Italy.
Upon retiring as a player, Renteria began his professional managerial career in 1998 at Brevard County, the Single-A affiliate for the Marlins, before being named the 1999 Midwest League Manager of the Year after leading Single-A Kane County to a league-best 78-59 record. He spent his final two seasons in the Marlins chain with Double-A Portland before joining the Padres organization in 2003 as a coach with Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he would eventually manage for three seasons from 2004-06.
Renteria was promoted to manager of Triple-A Portland in 2007 before joining the Padres major league coaching staff in 2008, serving as first base coach before moving to bench coach in 2011.
Originally selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 1980 draft, Renteria was a career .237 hitter with 20 doubles, four home runs and 41 RBI in 184 major league contests. Renteria primarily played second base and third base in the majors while also seeing some time at shortstop and left field.
Renteria is a native of Harbor City, Calif., and resides with his wife, Ilene, in Temecula, Calif. They have four children: sons Joseph, Michael and Anthony and daughter Alexandria.
I love saying Temecula.
Welcome to Renteria (to whom I may start referring as “RR,” because I like it), and best of luck in the continued positive progression of the Cubs organization. Most of the work falls on the front office in the near-term, but an uptick in wins in 2014 probably wouldn’t be a bad start.
Oh, and growing a totally boss mustache.
