The Cubs are betting big on this youth movement, the idea of player development. So even if these names dont jump out into headlines, they will be doing important work behind the scenes.
Whether thats helping Brett Jackson with his two-strike approach at Triple-A Iowa, or guiding Arodys Vizcaino as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in Des Moines, there needs to be some finishing touches.
At some point next year, Cubs fans should be able to drive to Class-A Kane County and see some of the prospectsAlbert Almora and Jorge Solerwho are supposed to be foundation pieces in Theo Epsteins rebuilding project.
Heres a look at the minor-league staff the Cubs unveiled on Tuesday:
Triple-A IowaMarty Pevey (manager)Mike Mason (pitching coach)Brian Harper (hitting coach)Nick Frangella (athletic trainer)Ed Kohl (strength coach)
Note: Pevey had worked as the organizations catching coordinator for the past three seasons, running his experience to almost three decades in professional baseball. Harperwho won a World Series ring with the 1991 Minnesota Twinsmoves up a level after managing at Double-A Tennessee and Class-A Daytona.
Double-A TennesseeBuddy Bailey (manager)Jeff Fassero (pitching coach)Desi Wilson (hitting coach)Scott Barringer (athletic trainer)Ryan Clausen (strength coach)
Note: This will be Baileys 25th year as a manager in the minors. Fassero pitched for nine teams in the big leagues and went 121-124 with a 4.11 ERA during his 16-year career. Look for top prospect Javier Baez to be in Tennessee by the second half of next season if he continues on this fast track.
Class-A DaytonaDave Keller (manager)Storm Davis (pitching coach)Mariano Duncan (hitting coach)Peter Fagan (athletic trainer)
Note: Keller has been with the organization for almost a decade, earning a good reputation as a hitting instructor. Daviswho won 113 games during his 13-year career in the big leaguesis a new hire. He spent the last two seasons as the pitching coach at Class-A Hickory, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Before that, he helped The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., win back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010.
Class-A Kane CountyMark Johnson (manager)Ron Villone (pitching coach)Tom Beyers (hitting coach)Shane Nelson (athletic trainer)
Note: Johnson, the former White Sox catcher, gets bumped up after managing two seasons at Class-A Boise. Villone pitched for 12 teams in the majors, and he could be working with some of the more interesting arms in the system, Pierce Johnson and Dillon Maples, trying to help get them to that level. On some nights, it could be worth sitting through the traffic to get to Geneva.
Class-A BoiseGary Van Tol (manager)David Rosario (pitching coach)Bill Buckner (hitting coach)Jonathan Fierro (athletic trainer)
Note: After five seasons as a volunteer coach and serving as an associate scout, Van Tol has been elevated. He has extensive experience in the college game after coaching at Gonzaga University and the University of Portland. Bucknerthe Curb Your Enthusiasm guest starreturns for his second season on the job.
Mesa (Rookie)Bobby Mitchell (manager)Anderson Tavares (pitching coach)Rick Tronerud (rehab pitching coordinator)Ricardo Medina, Jimmy Gonzalez (hitting coaches)Steve Melendez (athletic trainer)Yi-Chiang Chang (rehab strength coach)
Dominican (Rookie)Yudith Ozorio (manager)Leo Hernandez (pitching coach)Oscar Bernard (hitting coach)Wilkin Perez (athletic trainer)
Note: The Cubs will only have one Dominican team next season. Osmin Melendez will manage the Venezuelan Cubs, a newly created team, with Franklin Blanco working as the hitting coach.
Tim Cossinswho has spent the past 10 seasons in the Miami Marlins organizationwill help oversee it all as the minor-league field coordinator. The Marlins draw far more attention for their fire sales, but they have a good job developing impact players like Giancarlo Stanton.
The Cubs consider Derek Johnson to be a signature hire. Johnson had resisted other chances to leave Vanderbilt University, where he coached several top prospects, including future Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price, the American Leagues Cy Young Award winner in 2012. As the new minor-league pitching coordinator, Johnson will try to address the systems biggest weaknessthe lack of impact arms.
Anthony Iapoce, a special assistant in player development, will oversee the minor-league hitting program while working on other projects within the organization. The last three seasons he worked as a roving hitting coordinator for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Carmelo Martinez, whos been a presence for the Cubs in Latin America, becomes the hitting coordinator for Class-A, Rookie League and Dominican League teams. Jose Flores joins the organization as the minor-league infield coordinator. Lee Tinsley is back for his third year as the outfieldbaserunning coordinator. Doug Jarrow (strength and conditioning), Justin Sharpe (athletic training) and Chuck Baughman (rehabilitation) also return as coordinators.
There are roughly two months left until pitchers and catcher report to Arizona.