As you might expect a day after the Cubs parted ways with Rick Renteria and formally opened the door for Joe Maddon, there’s going to be a lot going on at the site today. That is to say, you’re going to see more than you would on a typical Saturday. Enjoy.
Internally, the next series of decisions to be made after that Maddon hire is what happens to the rest of the coaching staff. Presently, the coaching staff looks like this:
Bench Coach: Brandon Hyde – Brought into the organization by the front office as a minor league field coordinator in December 2011, and was promoted to be the Director of Player Development the following August. My understanding is that Hyde is well-liked and respected, and could be retained in the organization even if not as bench coach.
Pitching Coach: Chris Bosio – Brought in as Dale Sveum’s pitching coach three years ago, and survived the transition to Rick Renteria. By all accounts, Bosio is excellent at what he does, and the hope here is that he’s retained. The front office has praised the pitching infrastructure that has been put in place (which would seem to include Bosio, bullpen coach Lester Strode, catching coach Mike Borzello, and minor league pitching coordinator Derek Johnson). Speaking of Strode and Borzello …
Bullpen Coach: Lester Strode – Been in the organization for 26 years, and been the bullpen coach for 8 years.
Catching Coach: Mike Borzello – Brought in as part of Dale Sveum’s staff.
Hitting Coach: John Mallee – Just hired after Bill Mueller left. Mallee, from Chicago, sounds like a good one.
Assistant Hitting Coach: Eric Hinske – Was the new first base coach this past season after he retired from play, and was moved to assistant hitting coach when Mike Brumley departed. Reportedly turned down a chance to interview to be Yankees hitting coach.
First Base Coach: Doug Dascenzo – Just hired from the Braves. Dascenzo’s work there including outfield and baserunning instruction.
Third Base Coach: Gary Jones – Brought in as part of Rick Renteria’s staff. Jones works with the infielders.
Quality Assurance Coach: Vacant – Jose Castro just left to join the Braves. This is one definite opening on the staff, and it’s funny because Maddon, himself, invented the role of quality assurance coach several years ago with the Rays.
Staff Assistant: Franklin Font – Joined the organization as a player 21 years ago, and has been on the big league staff for four seasons.
Presumably, Maddon is going to want to be able to bring in some of his own guys, and he should be permitted to do so (assuming he can find guys available right now). If you were ballparking things, you would have to feel like Bosio, Strode, Borzello, Mallee, Hinske, and Dascenzo – for various reasons – have the best shots at sticking in their present roles. Other guys may be let go or perhaps just shifted around to accommodate any changes Maddon wants to make. We’ll have to wait and see, but I’d expect it to happen relatively quickly over the next few weeks.
It doesn’t sound like Maddon will be able to bring anyone over from Tampa Bay with him, because the organization there recently announced that all coaches – all are under contract – would return next year. Even if that weren’t the case, maybe the Cubs wouldn’t want to be poaching anyone else from the Rays anyway right now …
If you were hoping for a two-for-one announcement on Monday, the Cubs introduce Maddon and also reveal an extension for President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, you can stop. Patrick Mooney says there won’t be an explicit pairing like that, after Dan Bernstein got folks talking about the possibility yesterday. Regardless, the idea here remains the same: it would be nice to see Epstein extended, eventually, so that every major player involved in the building process is locked in for the period in which the Cubs should finally start to flourish at the big league level.
It’s been a nice stretch for the Cubs’ offensive prospects in the AFL this week, with Dan Vogelbach now at 14 walks and just 10 strikeouts, and Jacob Hannemann up to a .293/.302/.463 slash line. Danny Lockhart had a couple hits in his debut yesterday, too.
And don’t forget: the Fall Stars Game is tonight at 7pm CT, and will feature C.J. Edwards (hopefully). You can watch on MLB Network or at MLB.com.
Jim Callis addresses whether he thinks Kris Bryant has now passed Byron Buxton as the top prospect in baseball, thanks to the crazy awesome performance of the former and the ongoing injury issues for the latter. Callis says … no. Buxton still has Mike Trout upside, and that trumps. For now. Although the debate won’t rage for long, because, while Buxton will likely still be a prospect next year, Bryant is very likely to be a big league regular by late April.
I turned 33 today. In a display of self-indulgence tied to that birthday, and a rare moment of this-is-my-house-I-do-what-I-want, I’m going to leave a song here from a band I love (from Chicago!). Here’s ‘Thirty-Three’ by the Smashing Pumpkins:
Speak to me in a language I can hear
Humor me before I have to go
Deep in thought I forgive everyone
As the cluttered streets greet me once again
I know I can’t be late
Supper’s waiting on the table
Tomorrow’s just an excuse away
So I pull my collar up
And face the cold, on my own
The earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
At the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
Steeple guide me to my heart and home
The sun is out and up and down again
I know I’ll make it, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
You can make it last
And for a moment I lose myself
Wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
I’ve journeyed here and there and back again
But in the same old haunts, I still find my friends
Mysteries not ready to reveal, sympathies I’m ready to return
I’ll make the effort, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
Tomorrow’s just an excuse, tomorrow’s just an excuse
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you, forever you
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
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NEWSLETTER
As you might expect a day after the Cubs parted ways with Rick Renteria and formally opened the door for Joe Maddon, there’s going to be a lot going on at the site today. That is to say, you’re going to see more than you would on a typical Saturday. Enjoy.
