With the Chicago Cubs bench coach job up for grabs, everyone and their mother assumed the Cubs would turn to David Ross. And they did, but it doesn’t appear that he wants the job. At least that is what Bruce Levine reports. So, the Cubs are turning to the field and came up with another name from the Cubs past, a name that is somewhat interesting.
According to sources the Cubs checked in with former Cub Mark DeRosa about vacant bench coach job . Does not appear David Ross who works for the team will take it. Both have nice broadcast deals .
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 13, 2018
DeRosa played for the Cubs for just two seasons but was quickly adopted by fans, and his play certainly deserved their praise. In those two seasons, the second baseman slashed .289/.373/.451 16 homers and 80 RBI. He also averaged less than 100 strikeouts in his two seasons.
Currently DeRosa has a sweet gig with MLB Network, but he has interviewed for coaching jobs in the past. Most recently he was pegged for the Minnesota Twins managerial job, and interviewed for the New York Mets skipper position, a spot which several people thought he had a good chance of earning.
He could be a good choice. This was a cerebral player, one who was very aware of what was going on, the full situation, and was looked at as a leader. That translates, and his matter of fact way of explaining information would be appreciated by players in the clubhouse. On top of it, we have seen a rush to younger, ex-players for these sorts of roles. The thought is that since they are the ones who interact the most with the players, having a smart guy who was in their seat not too long ago earns player respect pretty quickly.
Just remember, he gets paid a handsome dollar to sit in a studio to talk about the game. That is an attractive spot to be in.
UPDATE: It appears that DeRosa is rather comfortable in his current role on MLB Network. Per the Athletic.
The Cubs contacted Mark DeRosa, but at this point he’s very comfortable with his high-profile role on MLB Network and not viewed as a realistic candidate for the job, sources told The Athletic.
