The Chicago Cubs are going to be welcoming some of their biggest prospects to the big leagues in the 2015 season, but their hitting coach won’t be helping mentor the next generation of stars.
That’s because Bill Mueller, who was hired before the 2014 season to be manager Rick Renteria’s hitting coach, resigned his position on Tuesday. According to CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney, the reason that Mueller is leaving the organization is because Mike Brumley, his assistant coach, got reassigned by the organization after the season concluded. Brumley hasn’t decided yet whether he is going to remain with the Cubs’ organization or head for greener pastures, but Mueller has apparently already decided that the North Side isn’t for him.
In replacing Mueller, the Cubs are reportedly looking for someone with experience in the position. That would seem to rule out Manny Ramirez, who was serving as a coach-slash-mentor for the team with their Triple A affiliate in Des Moines. Ramirez did work closely with Javier Baez during the season, however, and he apparently impressed the Cubs enough that they’re considering adding him to the coaching staff in some capacity.
Under Mueller’s tutelage, the Cubs’ offense didn’t exactly light the world on fire, but they did make some strides forward that weren’t necessarily reflected in their overall numbers. They were in the bottom five teams in the league in runs scored, batting average, and on-base percentage, but they did rise to 14th in slugging percentage, and got much improved performances out of Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo after the young duo took a step back in 2013.
Now, with Baez and Jorge Soler looking to continue their progress and Kris Bryant looking to make a seamless transition to the majors next season, the Cubs will seek out an established coach to add to Renteria’s bench. This hire will tell fans a lot about what the team sees itself as accomplishing in the coming year, and the right guy could turn the offense around in a big way as the team looks to be more competitive in the NL Central.
