David Ross’ playing career has only been officially over for about six weeks, but the veteran catcher is already considering a return to the Cubs, writes CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney. The Cubs, who already have former big leaguers Ted Lilly, Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster on hand as special assistants (plus former Major Leaguers Kevin Youkilis and John Baker in other organizational roles), are interested in adding Ross to their front office in a special assistant/consulting type of role, GM Jed Hoyer told Mooney last week at the Winter Meetings.
“It would seem almost a shame if he wasn’t (around),” Hoyer said. “He was such a big part of what we did from a team-chemistry standpoint. Probably no one has a better feel for what we’ll need – what tweaks we’ll need in the clubhouse or what’s going on – than he will. So I think having him around in the next few years (would be) really valuable.”
Ross, who ascended to cult hero status among Cubs fans toward the end of his run as a player, tells Mooney that he hopes to remain connected to the Cubs forever and is interested in experiencing a new side of the game. “There’s a lot of Hall of Famers in that front office,” said the veteran backstop. “And I want to get to know that side of things. So, yeah, I’m sure there’s something that’s going to work out in the future with the Cubs.” For the time being, however, Ross noted that he also has to consider his retirement as an opportunity to spend more time with his young family — something that isn’t an easy feat when playing a 162-game schedule over a 183-day regular season (plus a six-week Spring Training and the postseason).
Set to turn 40 in March, Ross hit .229/.338/.446 with 10 homers in the final season of his 15-year Major League career and took home his second World Series ring. He hit a sixth-inning solo homer off Cleveland relief ace Andrew Miller in Game 7 of the World Series that looked to merely pad Chicago’s lead at the time but proved to provide a critical run as the Indians later staged a rally to tie the game against Aroldis Chapman. He retired with a career .229/.316/.423 batting line over the life of 883 games that were split across seven Major League teams.
A premature welcome back Rossy!
Y E S!!!
There is no limit to this guys future. ESPN, MLB, FOX every media oulet wants him.
Future manager? And a catcher no less. 🙂
40 years young, erudite and liked by about everyone.
add 2 x World Champion – One which is HISTORIC!
Fly the W forever #David Ross
Lily, Wood, Dempster, Youkilis, Baker and Ross. Lots of Diversity in that group.
Define diversity: 6 baseball players, 3 pitchers and 3 catchers, all white.
Jackt likely is being sarcastic and implying something else….
Right I have absolutely no penis.
youk was 3b/1b…there’s your diversity. oh yeah, and Greek.
Kevin Youkilis is Jewish, not actually Greek. His great-great-great grandfather changed his surname from “Weiner” to “Youkilis” to avoid conscription and persecution at the hands of the notoriously anti-Semitic Cossacks in his native Romania.
Left out of the story is Manny Ramirez, who is also a special assistant/consultant for the Cubs
There’s your diversity…a Dominican/American PED user. lol
We’re is Bill Madlock
Bill Madlock hasn’t been involved with a MLB organization since coaching for the Detroit Tigers in 2001 and 2002 for manager Phil Garner, a former teammate from his days with the Pirates.
“Mad Dog” is one of my all-time favorite Cub players. As a 61-year old fan,I don’t recall a time I was more upset about a trade than the one that sent Madlock to the Giants for Bobby Murcer and Steve Ontiveros following the 1976 season. Madlock had just won his second consecutive batting title with the Cubs and to this day I felt his trade had “racial” overtones. He had quite the temper and, imo, didn’t conform to the model “black” citizen that P.K. Wrigley wanted on his ball club.
Btw-Madlock is the only major league baseball player to have won four batting titles who is not enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Good for him. I’d love to see him replace Dave Martinez. Who I’m guessing is gonna leave next year to be a manager somewhere else. Or he can be part of the cubs broadcast and make it 3 man team. Or he can be like dempster and join the MLB network. In the process replace Eric Byrnes.
You spelled harold reynolds wrong
Byrnes just needs to remove caffein from his diet.
That’s what makes him the Byrnes
Yes. Great idea!
hell be a manager someday. catchers have that knowledge.
Hopefully Maddon’s replacement in 10 years. 🙂
Ok I get it. He’s a great guy. The man, the myth, the legend. Now let’s slip some PJ’s on and have a pillow fight! Eye roll.
Ross is a positive role model to other ballplayers and young people as well. He hasn’t done anything to deserve negative energy here.
Looks like someone just can’t handle someone else’s success.
I can’t wait til he manages a team and then gets fired after three losing seasons and gets hired and fired two more times after that. Over rated.
How can you say a managers going to be over rated or suck before they ever coach a game? You dont know if he’ll bring a new philosophy that could be successful.
Wow, worship Joe Madden much? Similarly, one could ask why a veteran player who’s good in the clubhouse would be a lock to be a successful coach. Those players are a dime a dozen.
Oh, but he won a WS for the Cubbies, so he’s practically a God now. Ease up on the blue Koolaid. There are 29 other fanbases that don’t worship the 2016 CHC roster, ya know…
in what was is any of this Joe Maddon worship?
it’s a legitimate point that it’s kind of asinine to predict failure for a guy who’s never coached before… it’d be the same to predict success for the same reason.
And we can talk about those other 29 teams in the stories that are about the other 29 teams, you know. This one is kind of about the Cubs…..
legit1213,
In baseball, you see, the head guy is called the “manager”. In minor sports, he’s called the head coach.
Your ignorance and envy are apparent in your posts, so it’s pointless to repeat them.
It’s ok altuve2017mvp, no need for hate, one day your team will reach the promise land too.
Admittedly a White Sox fan, but I’m neutral on baseball matters concerning the Cubs (for the most part). For whatever reason, I cannot understand the over the top love affair with David Ross. I could get it if this guy was a career Cub, but he played 2 years with them, OK we get it, he was a career back-up catcher who hit .229. This guy gets better treatment than any recent retirees who did something for the Cubs. Someone explain it to me…..
Maybe because he is a winner. David Ross played for 5 different teams that made the postseason, including being an integral member of the World Series championship Red Sox in 2013 and again with the Cubs this past season.
Maybe it’s the very fact you stated — that he wasn’t a star, but a grinder and an older guy who could still contribute on and off the field.
Maybe it’s because he proved you don’t have to be a star to be a team leader. He proved that with several teams.
Maybe it’s the camaraderie that the Cubs have for each other, which their fans appreciate.
Can’t see such love among Sox fans for A.J. Pierzynski, for example, despite his key role in the Sox’ only flag this century. Maybe it’s just a Cubs thing and South Siders can’t get it.
White Sox fans remember and revere most of the players on their 2005 championship club whether they were stars (Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Mark Beuhrle, Bobby Jenks), grinders (Aaron Rowand, Scott Podsednik, A.J. Pierzynski, Tadahito Iguchi, Juan Uribe) or even role players like Geoff Blum and Willie Harris.
Glad to hear it. Success to all Chicago teams !
he was also just fun. Yeah, he was the backup catcher… but he also came off as a guy you’d just wanna hang out with and watch a baseball game.
Nobody in baseball really likes AJ Pierzynski. Remember when Boston released him after his fellow players demanded it? Bad cubhouse guy, pretty intense.
Ross has the manager career arc – backup catcher, good baseball intelligence, never a good enough hitter to be a regular, so he spent a lot of time on the bench soaking in information from smart and successful managers.
As a matter of fact, that sounds basically exactly like the Bruce Bochy story.
When the Cubs first signed him I was not on board with it and it took me until this season to actually see his benefit. He is not an offensive powerhouse by any means but his defense and ability to throw guys out was good and his major contribution was his attitude and personality that he brought to the team. I am definitely happy we signed him now
Listen to any member of the cubs team talk about him. There was a pretty great example in the world series when Rizzo was talking to him about how nervous he was. I think the whole emotional leader thing is overblown in the media, but you could tell that the younger players really did look to him for advice
Should be easy for a White Sox fan to understand. Jim Thome played only 3 full seasons in Chicago and won absolutely nothing, yet he has a front office position and a statue of himself in the outfield concourse.
Some guys are just fan and teammate favorites.
Won absolutely nothing?
Jim Thome hit one of the most historic HR’s in White Sox history in the bottom of the 7th inning against the Minnesota Twins that propelled them the 2008 A.L. Central Division title. His blast to center provided the only run in their 1-0 tie-breaking 163th game of the season at U.S. Cellular Field.
From a personal standpoint, Thome who is a native of Peoria Illinois, has been one of MLB’s leading philanthropists with his charity work that has benefited every community where he played, including Chicago. He still resides with his wife and family in the southwest suburb of Burr Ridge and continues to do charity work in the area and state as the White Sox Special Assistant to Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn.
Like I said, won absolutely nothing.
Like I also said, being a great guy and great teammate goes a long way.
Well, if your criteria for excellence in a player is having to win a World Series then there are plenty of greats who have failed, including All-Stars, MVP’s and even some in the HOF.
David Ross would be an asset to any organization, whether in player development, on a MLB coaching staff or in the front office. He might also make for a great manager down the road as a former catcher who is familiar with all aspects of the game and worked particularly well with pitchers.
As a Red Sox fan, I’m super happy for David, he play the same role with the Red Sox as he did with the Cubs, he’s been a mentor for years.and I wish him all the best
Take it Ross, take it!
One of the first things Jason Heyward did after signing with the Cubs, was to upgrade all of Ross’ hotel rooms on the road to suites, so he could bring his family. Heyward did this in thanks for the support and advice that Ross provided when they were together in Atlanta. It appears that there is a “Ross Effect” where ever he goes.