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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff WriterSep 30, 2024, 08:59 PM ET
- Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
After missing the postseason for a fifth straight (full) year, the Chicago Cubs are making numerous changes to their coaching staff, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN on Monday.
The team won’t be bringing back first-base coach Mike Napoli nor will assistant hitting coach Jim Adduci return next season. Also moving on is bullpen coach Darren Holmes as well as two strength coaches.
The moves come one day after the Cubs finished the regular season with an 83-79 record — the same record they finished with last season. They also come at the beginning of manager Craig Counsell’s first full offseason with the team. He was a surprise hire by the Cubs in November and essentially inherited the coaching staff, minus bench coach Ryan Flaherty, whom Counsell brought on from the San Diego Padres.
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It was expected that Counsell would have a bigger say in winter moves as he became more familiar with the organization. These are the first dominoes to fall.
It is unknown if other coaches will be let go. The Cubs consistently are at the top of the league in outs made on the bases — they were second this year — including outs made at home plate, drawing the ire of fans, mostly directed at third-base coach Willie Harris. But other metrics say their baserunning is a strength, including their ability to go from first to third; the team ranked third in that category this past season.
The Cubs often have cited their pitching infrastructure as a strength while cycling through hitting coaches. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy just completed his sixth season in that position, while hitting coach Dustin Kelly has been on the job for the past two years.
