Bullpen coach Chris Young and game strategy/catching coach Craig Driver won’t return to Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are making changes to their coaching staff.
While manager David Ross received support from Chairman Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to return in 2024, the Cubs have parted with bullpen coach Chris Young and game strategy/catching coach Craig Driver.
Both joined the organization as part of Ross’ original staff for the 2020 season after two years with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Driver spent his first two seasons with the Cubs as the first base/catching coach. He took over game strategy duties following Mike Borzello’s departure after the 2021 season. Rookie catcher Miguel Amaya credited Driver this season for helping improve his defense and pitch calling.
The Cubs bullpen was a strength for a key stretch of the season once Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr. and Adbert Alzolay emerged as go-to high-leverage options. Each had been unproven in those roles, and all three finished with career highs in games. Merryweather and Leiter tied for 10th in the National League with 69 appearances.
A banged-up bullpen faltered down the stretch, though. The Cubs’ five losses after leading in the eighth inning or later during September were tied for their most in a month (with June 1991 and September 1992) in the last 50 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The loss of Alzolay in the closer role was a devastating blow. After he landed on the injured list Sept. 10 with a strained right forearm, the Cubs had an MLB-high eight blown saves until he returned for the final series in Milwaukee.
The Cubs tried to navigate that stretch without Alzolay and Michael Fulmer, who also had a right forearm strain, with a bullpen that at one point included three-fifths of their opening-day rotation while still relying on Leiter and Merryweather, who were pitching through back and knee issues, respectively. The bullpen eventually ran out of fuel down the stretch of a disastrous ending.
The Cubs bullpen ranked among the best in the majors during their season-saving stretch from June 9, when they were 10 games under .500, to Sept. 9, when they held the second wild-card spot. In that span, the bullpen ranked in the top 10 with a 3.48 ERA (sixth), 1.21 WHIP (fourth) and .209 average against (first).
