Why the Cubs Fired Chris Bosio
There are a lot of Chicago Cubs fans that are surprised that the team let pitching coach Chris Bosio go. Afterall, this is the guy responsible for Jake Arrieta, and several other pitchers have expressed they succeeded because of his tutelage. But professional sports has a “what have you done for me lately” culture, and Bosio fell on a sword this offseason. Still, there are questions surrounding the sudden firing, and I’m going to do my best to answer.
1. Bumping Heads with Joe Maddon
A finely tuned organization has all parts moving in the same direction, this is especially expected by their management staff. It seemed that Bosio and Joe Maddon were beating different drums at times this season, and it played out a bit publicly, which is a major no-no in sports.
Then there was an interview on WSCR-670 The Score where Bosio basically accused Brewers slugger, Eric Thames of using PED’s.
“Well, the bottom line is [Thames] has hit the ball and we gotta figure out a way to get around [it]. All that other stuff, I’ll let other people worry about. But he’s doing stuff that I haven’t seen done for a long time.
“You start thinking about Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez when he went to the Dodgers, Barry Bonds … You’re talking about some of the greatest players to ever play this game. So, yeah, it’s probably a ‘head-scratcher’ because nobody knows who this guy is. And when he was here before, his body has changed. But, like I said, I’ll leave that to everyone else and we’re just gonna try to worry about how to pitch him better and get him out.”
Cubs officials were infuriated by these remarks, and I believe that was the beginning of the end for Chris in Chicago.
2. Regressions
The Cubs pitching staff took a major step back this season. First it was the Cubs starters, and although it could be dispelled with the World Series hangover, excuses aren’t very well received in professional sports.
Around mid-July the Cubs bullpen showed signs of that regression as well. While the pen had struggled with command issues throughout much of the season, the team that was 30th in the league in unintentional walks began to give up timely hits as well. Even trading for one of the most coveted relievers in Justin Wilson didn’t solve the Cubs relief woes.
The walks weren’t a new thing either. The 2016 team was 27th in the league in unintentional walks, and with a league-wide regression, the Cubs slipped further behind the eight-ball. With the failure to improve year-over-year, that in itself put Bosio on the hot seat.
3. Quaility names available
Chris is a great pitching coach, there are many pitchers in this league that swear by his teachings – but there are a couple better currently available. Just like when Ricky Renteria was let go so the Cubs could hire Joe Maddon, I think a lot of this decision is because Jim Hickey is available.
Jim, like Maddon, is considered one of the absolute best (if not the best) coaches in baseball. Hickey is a favorite to land the pitching coach job with the St Louis Cardinals, but with the Cubs and Joe knocking, he very well could be a Cub in 2018.
If he doesn’t, Mike Maddux is another well respected pitching coach that has found himself without a job. Coaching in Washington, he was let go along with Dusty Baker and the rest of the coaching staff. The Cubs were linked to Mike back in 2011, before the team hired Chris.
Maybe Chris didn’t deserve to go out this way, this year, but sports needs accountability and regression regardless of the reasons is hardly ignored. Here’s wishing Chris the best, and hopes the Cubs have made the best decision for the future of their franchise.
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