It was brought up earlier this week by Jed Hoyer that as David Ross put together the final pieces of his coaching staff for 2020 that he, like any other manager, wanted someone he's familiar with, someone who he already trusts.
Via NBC Sports Chicago.
Still, Hoyer said the Cubs are cognizant of Ross' need to have somebody on the coaching staff he trusts.
"You want guys to fill certain roles on your staff — coaching, strategy, etc." Hoyer said. "But there's also a camaraderie you want to create. There's a relationship with the manager that you want to give that manager. It's a really hard and lonely job at times."
"Having someone on that staff that you trust that you've known from the past that you can vent to or grab a beer with or grab breakfast with and talk about it, I think that's really important."
The Cubs have all but two open spots on their coaching staff and the latest to be filled is the role of quality assurance coach. That position was created by the Cubs last offseason, when Chris Denorfia was added to Joe Maddon's staff.
Now, it's Mike Napoli who will be added to Ross' coaching staff taking over Denorfia's title.
Napoli and Ross were teammates with the Red Sox.
Welcome aboard, Mike!
The Cubs have one position left to fill, as third base coach Brian Butterfield joined Maddon in Anaheim.
