Cubs make a coaching change
The Cubs will have a new hitting coach for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
Greg Brown will not return as the Cubs hitting coach in 2023 — he was offered another position within the organization but has opted to pursue other opportunities.
Dustin Kelly, who was the Cubs’ minor league hitting coordinator, will be elevated to major league hitting coach. Kelly joined the team ahead of the 2021 season after three seasons as a hitting coach in the Dodgers farm system.
Brown joined the Cubs in November of 2021 from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he served as the minor league hitting coordinator there.
[State of the Cubs: Bullpen littered with plenty of options — and question marks]
In 2022, the Cubs were 17th in baseball in OPS (.698), on-base percentage (.311) and home runs (159), 19th in batting average (.238) and slugging percentage (.387).
The Cubs ranked 20th in weighted runs created plus at 97, 3 points below league average and 21st in OPS+ at 96, 4 points below league average. The team still struggled overall with strikeouts (1448, 6th most in baseball).
The Cubs saw a strong offensive year this season from Ian Happ (.271/.342/.440, first All-Star Game appearance) and Nico Hoerner (.281/.327/.410 slash line).