News broke on Monday that the Chicago Cubs are set to name Greg Brown as their next hitting coach. It marks the latest in a string of hires for the organization this offseason. The Chicago Cubs have yet to formally announce the hire. The Athletic first reported this story. Brown replaces former Cubs hitting coach Anthony Iapoce who the team let go in early October.
For the Cubs, this hire is yet another example of the footprint Jed Hoyer is making on the team. Mired by poor offensive performances the last several seasons, the Cubs look to revamp their hitting philosophy as a whole.
Who is Greg Brown
Greg Brown has served the last 2 seasons as the Tampa Bay Rays‘ minor-league hitting coordinator. Before that, he managed at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, winning 316 games.
Brown is also a former area scout for the Houston Astros. He played a role in signing Kike Hernandez and J.D. Martinez, both part of the team’s 2009 draft class.
With a wealth of knowledge from the most innovative team in baseball, Brown is poised to revamp a Cubs’ offense that has lacked a true identity for several seasons.
What This Means for the Cubs
The hiring of Greg Brown is another example of Jed Hoyer’s plan to bring new voices into the organization. This started with the hiring of GM Carter Hawkins and Assistant GM Ehsan Bokhari. All three of these recent hires come from forward-thinking organizations.
With a reliance solely on power hitting the last several seasons, the Cubs’ offense had stalled in place. After a massive sell-off at the trade deadline, Hoyer now has the opportunity to forge a new identity for the team. The hire of Brown confirms this plan.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what type of players the Cubs target in free agency and beyond. It is close to impossible to match what the Tampa Bay Rays do. However, it is time for the Cubs to move past a philosophy that had stopped working. This is the first step.
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