Cubs announce 2024 coaching staff, including four new additions
The Cubs dugout will look slightly different in 2024 — and not just with new manager Craig Counsell’s addition.
The team announced Counsell’s coaching staff for the upcoming season, including four new additions. Ryan Flaherty has been officially named bench coach, Darren Holmes is the new bullpen coach, Mark Strittmatter has been hired as major league field coordinator and John Mallee returns to the big-league team as assistant hitting coach. Additionally, 10 coaches from 2023 are returning to Counsell’s staff.
The team is returning pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, hitting coach Dustin Kelly, first base coach Mike Napoli, third base coach Willie Harris, assistant hitting coaches Juan “Pipi” Cabreja and Jim Adduci, assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos, major league coaches Jonathan Mota and Alex Smith and bullpen catcher Garrett Lloyd.
Holmes most recently served as Baltimore’s assistant pitching coach for the last 3 seasons and was their bullpen coach in 2020. He was the Rockies’ bullpen coach for the 5 prior seasons. Holmes served with Chris Holt and the pair helped guide the Orioles to a team ERA of 3.89, the 7th-best mark in baseball.
Strittmatter has been in the Rockies organization since he was drafted in 1992 by them and has been a coach in some capacity since 2003. He was in Pittsburgh for a pair of seasons under Clint Hurdle. The former big leaguer will work with the Cubs’ catching corps and will be the team-scheduling point person.
Mallee returns to Chicago after serving as Triple-A Iowa’s hitting coach in 2023. He was the Cubs’ hitting coach from 2015 to 2017 and was the Phillies hitting coach in 2018 and 19. He spent the next three seasons as an assistant hitting coach with Anaheim.
Holmes and Strittmatter replace Chris Young and Craig Driver, respectively, who were not brought back after their contracts expired.
Flaherty’s addition was reported in December, replacing Andy Green who joined the Mets as the senior vice president of player development.
“He understands the game … understands the newer aspects of the game, but also can speak to the older, more nuanced aspects of the game,” general manager Carter Hawkins said at last month’s winter meetings. “I think just fits well in a role like this bench coach role.”