We still don’t have any announcements of hirings or retentions for the inaugural Craig Counsell Cubs coaching staff, but now we have a second departure.
In addition to bench coach Andy Green, who is joining the Mets’ front office, assistant hitting coach Johnny Washington is heading to Los Angeles to join the Angels’ coaching staff under new manager Ron Washington. He’s getting a promotion to top hitting coach, so good for him:
Washington was a Cubs assistant hitting coach the last two years. He joined the Cubs under Greg Brown, who – like most Cubs hitting coaches – lasted just one year in 2022, and then stayed on board after the arrival of Dustin Kelly.
The Cubs also added Jim Adduci and Juan Cabreja as assistant hitting coaches at that time, so they actually had four hitting coaches in 2023 (Kelly, Washington, Adduci, and Cabreja). It was a setup the players really seemed to like.
Kelly’s role with the Cubs, like Adduci and Cabreja, remains at this moment TBA.