The Chicago Cubs are moving forward with changes to Craig Counsell’s coaching staff, sources told The Athletic on Tuesday, though that process is still incomplete.
Mark Strittmatter, who spent this past season as the major-league field coordinator for the Cubs, has emerged as a leading candidate to fill the role of bullpen coach. Strittmatter was one of a few new hires by Counsell after the manager left the Milwaukee Brewers and took over a Cubs staff that was already largely filled with coaches who worked for David Ross.
As part of the reset to their high-performance group, the Cubs are promoting from within as Mark Weisman and Kevin Poppe are expected to be strength and conditioning coaches at the major-league level.
Weisman, who grew up in suburban Chicago and played fullback at the University of Iowa, developed a good reputation for his high-energy work with the organization’s prospects. Poppe also has built-in relationships from his time as a specialist who worked as a liaison between the major- and minor-league sides of the organization. Poppe was already involved in designing offseason programs for Cubs players, and for years Cubs pitcher Hayden Wesneski has worked with Poppe at his training facility in Texas.
Counsell spent part of his first year with the Cubs in observation mode, learning more about a new organization and thinking about ways to improve the process and make better decisions. After the last game of the season, Counsell dismissed bullpen coach Darren Holmes, first base coach Mike Napoli and assistant hitting coach Jim Adduci. The Cubs also axed two strength and conditioning coaches (Ryan Clausen and Keegan Knoll) and eventually parted ways with third-base coach Willie Harris.
Counsell is continuing to evaluate candidates for the other open positions, primarily first- and third-base coaches. The Cubs were generally pleased with their ability to steal bases this season, but their overall base running needs improvement, so that will be a focus with their new hires.
For now, the Cubs feel they have a strong game-planning group in place. There is a chance that more internal shuffling happens and roles change. It also doesn’t appear that every role on the coaching staff from last year, including Strittmatter’s previous position, will be filled. The Cubs noticed some overlap and certain responsibilities could be consolidated.
(Photo of Craig Counsell: David Richard / Imagn Images)
