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On Wednesday we learned that longtime bullpen coach Lester Strode would not be returning to the Cubs in that capacity in 2020 and now his replacement has been revealed.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported that former Phillies pitching coach Chris Young interviewed for the bullpen coach position with the Cubs and The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma reported Thursday morning that Young will be the new bullpen coach.
And no, it’s not the same Chris Young who was involved in a big melee back in 2007 that featured some big swings and misses from the Padres pitcher and Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee.
No, this Chris Young was drafted by the Rockies in 2002 and after six seasons pitching in the minors (3.54 ERA in 409.1 innings) Young moved on to scouting. From 2010-14, he was a scout for the Padres and then spent the next three seasons with the Astros as a high level scout and scouting supervisor.
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I now expect Cubs pitchers to have the highest spin rates and velocity next season and won’t settle for anything less. No pressure, Chris.
Young was an assistant pitching coach for the Phillies in 2018 and was then promoted to the team’s pitching coach in 2019. He was let go after the season following the firing of manager Gabe Kapler.
