The hunt for the new manager on the North Side of Chicago is now over as the Cubs are expected to sign David Ross for the 2020 season. When Cubs players heard the news on the last day of the regular season that Joe Maddon would not be back, they were left wondering who would take over.
Ross, the former catcher, played 2 years for Chicago and was an important veteran presence and leader on the 2016 World Series team. “Grandpa Rossy,” as he was affectionately known, cemented his Cubs legacy by hitting a home run off of Indians reliever Andrew Miller in Game 7 of that ’16 World Series.
Now 42-year-old Ross will have a chance to manage many of his former teammates including Anthony Rizzo and his former battery mate Jon Lester.
In addition to Ross, the Cubs interviewed inside options, as well as former managers Joe Girardi and Gabe Kapler, both who have lots of managerial experience under their belts. While Ross doesn’t have the experience, he is well respected and has great leadership skills to go along with his knowledge of the organization and his catcher play-calling mindset.
