Today the Chicago Cubs announced their new coaching staff for the 2014 season, the first under new manager Rick Renteria.
As expected, Bill Mueller is the Cubs’ new hitting coach, with recently-interviewed Mike Brumley as the assistant hitting coach. Farm Director Brandon Hyde is being promoted to the bench coach position, which is a pretty exciting move. Hyde is obviously as close as it gets to the Cubs’ top prospects, and, as they emerge on the big club within the next two years, they’ll now be greeted by a familiar face. He’s also got experience, having managed in the minors for five years previously, and was a bench coach with the Marlins for a season and a half.
Gary Jones joins the staff as the new third base coach and infield instructor, coming over from the Padres. Jose Castro will be a quality assurance coach (which appears to be a new gig). If you’re looking for the first base coach, you won’t find one – apparently that’s still an open position. Interesting that the Cubs elected to announce the rest of the staff. I wonder if that means they know it’s going to be a little while on the first base coach?
Chris Bosio indeed stays on as the pitching coach, as does Lester Strode (bullpen coach), Mike Borzello (catching and strategy coach (new title)) and Franklin Font (staff assistant).
In conjunction with Hyde’s move onto the big league bench, Amateur Scouting Director Jaron Madison – who came to the Cubs from the Padres – will slide into Hyde’s vacated position. National Crosschecker Matt Dorey, who came to the Cubs from the Red Sox, will take over as the Amateur Scouting Director. Dorey and Madison are both up-and-comers, and it’s nice to see that they’ve cemented themselves as valuable pieces in an already heady front office.
I’ll likely have more on the coaching staff and the front office changes next week. For now, no real surprises, and it all looks good to me.