The Chicago Cubs have hired former third baseman Bill Mueller as their new hitting coach, according to Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago. The team also added several other new coaches to manager Rick Renteria's staff.
Cubs add Bill Mueller as hitting coach
The team also added Brandon Hyde as the bench coach for new manager Rick Renteria.
Mueller has briefly served as a hitting coach before. In 2007, he replaced Eddie Murray in that position midseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers; however, he returned to the Dodgers' front office at the end of the year, where he has worked ever since. Mueller also spent two seasons with the Cubs during his 11-year playing career. As a player, the switch-hitting Muller batted .291/.373/.425 in 1,216 games with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. He was also a member of the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
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The Cubs also added four more coaches to their staff, according to CSN Chicago: Brandon Hyde (bench coach), Gary Jones (third-base and infield coach), Mike Brumley (assistant hitting coach), and Jose Castro (quality assurance coach). The team will also retain Chris Bosio (pitching coach), Lester Strode (bullpen coach), Mike Borzello (catching and strategy coach), and Franklin Font (staff assistant). They have not yet hired a first-base coach.
Hyde spent 1½ seasons as the Marlins’ bench coach from 2010-2011, and served as the team’s interim manager for one day on June 19, 2011, after the resignation of Edwin Rodriguez. He also managed in the minor leagues for several seasons. He most recently served as the Cubs’ Director of Player Development.
Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue chimes in with this opinion:
Instant reaction: This seems to be a coaching staff with almost as little experience as the one that came on board with Mike Quade in 2011. Let’s hope these guys do better.
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