ESPN’s Jesse Rogers had it Tuesday and on Wednesday, several more reports confirmed the news, David Ross will be the new Cubs manager.
Ross, 42, has been a special assistant in the Cubs front office since retiring after the 2016 season. Believe it or not, he had a 15-year MLB career, not just two years to end his career with the Cubs.
For some reason fans are worried because Ross played with several players on the current roster and that means exactly what? He won’t discipline them? He’ll be too hard on them?
We’re talking about a guy, who for a long time has been seen as a future manager, and now he is but fans are pissed off because he has no prior coaching experience. It’s not 1972. Many of the decisions are already going to be played out before they even happen and I’m not saying Ross is just a puppet, but the front office and analytics department are going to have plenty of input on every day decisions.
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Sorry guys, coaching experience just doesn’t matter anymore.
What’s Ross good at? For years he’s been praised because of his leadership skills. You don’t stick around for 15 years with a .229 batting average if you don’t provide something else in the clubhouse. Ross is respected and hey for the meatballs, he’s also kind of a fiery guy. So, there’s your fire and passion you were complaining that Joe Maddon didn’t have.
Manage egos and motivate a team.
But here’s the thing. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who the new manager is. All the pressure this offseason is on the front office to improve the roster. That’s what matters.
Whether it’s David Ross, Joe Espada, Joe Maddon, whoever it is, a manager is going to look bad if the roster is flawed.
There’s only one thing I request from Ross, put players in the best position to succeed. Maximize the talent on the roster. Don’t bat Albert Almora Jr. leadoff. Thanks.
