Meet the Cubs' Revamped Coaching Staff

As is often the case after two seasons of over 90 losses, a major league baseball team "decides to go in a different direction" with regards to their coaching staff. Such is the case with the Cubs, who after firing manager Dale Sveum were tasked with finding a new manager and new people to fill much of his staff. 

While a couple of coaches were retained from the previous coaching regime, the coaching staff as a whole is relatively new and getting to know who these men are can help shed light on how they will shape the Cubs' plethora of young talent. 

Here is the Cubs' revamped 2014 coaching staff (along with returning pitching coach Chris Bosio) to give a little insight into how the dugout and clubhouse will be for the North Siders this season. 

Manager Rick Renteria

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Rick Renteria takes over a Cubs team that is in the middle of a rebuild.

When a new coaching staff takes over, it all starts with the new manager. In the Cubs' case, that new manager is Rick Renteria. 

Renteria has a strong track record in baseball, although this is his first major league managerial job. He did, however, manage Team Mexico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. 

While Cubs management said that hiring a manager with previous major league managerial experience was key, they also saw a strong track record in Renteria. They also saw that he had managerial experience for a national team, which is impressive. 

Additionally, Renteria speaks Spanish, which President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer thought was vital given the high volume of Latin American prospects that the team has coming up through the minor leagues in the coming years. 

There are mixed opinions on the Cubs' new manager, with many believing that he could be a solid hire and others thinking that he's destined to fail. Only time will tell how he will fare in his time in Chicago. 

Bench Coach Brandon Hyde

CSN Chicago

After several years in the Marlins organization and a couple for the Cubs, Hyde moves to the Cubs' bench.

New Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde has experience in several areas of baseball operations. He has experience coaching, scouting and being a minor league coordinator. This level of experience gives him a different perspective that several other "baseball lifer" bench coaches wouldn't have. His ability to see things from a variety of perspectives can only be a plus for the Cubs. 

Hyde joined the organization in 2011 after spending nine seasons in Florida with the Marlins organization. While there, according to Carrie Muskat, Hyde "was the Marlins’ Minor League infield coordinator to begin 2010 and spent the previous seven seasons as a Minor League manager and coach in the Marlins system." (per Chicago Now). 

In August of last year, Hyde was promoted to Cubs farm system director. That fact makes Hyde the ideal choice to be manager Rick Renteria's bench coach. Since Hyde has dealt with most of the team's current young talent, having him there on the bench for them when they get the call to the majors could be a calming influence on them. Additionally, Hyde will have added insight when making decisions on any given prospects that make it to the major league level. 

Hitting Coach Bill Mueller

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Former Cub Bill Mueller will try to preach patience at the plate to Cubs young talent.

Former Cub Bill Mueller was also added to Renteria's staff recently. While he doesn't have traditional major league coaching experience, it is Mueller's playing career and knowledge that make him an intriguing hitting coach. 

Mueller, who played for the Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers, posted a tremendous .373 on-base percentage during his playing career. It's logical that the Cubs' front office hopes that he could preach a patient approach at the plate. 

With plate discipline being a major point of emphasis with young players coming up, Mueller could serve as the perfect mentor if he's able to turn his playing experience into understandable lessons. President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer both saw Mueller's hitting ability during his playing days in Boston when both were employed by the Red Sox. 

The Cubs' new hitting coach has previous experience in the Dodgers front office. While it may be a strange transition from the front office back to the field, the approach that Mueller preaches to the young Cubs may make a big difference. 

Pitching Coach Chris Bosio

Stephen Green

Pitching coach Chris Bosio is a rare holdover from Dale Sveum's staff.

A rare holdover from the Cubs' 2013 coaching staff, pitching coach Chris Bosio will be back with the team after signing a two-year contract to return. Bosio did well with the pieces that he had in the Chicago rotation last season. 

Travis Wood had a breakout year earning the Cubs' only All-Star invite under Bosio's tutelage. Additionally, Jeff Samardzija had 214 strikeouts last season and made huge strides with Bosio guiding him. 

Clearly, Bosio has done a good enough job to be one of the only coaches to be asked back to the organization. With a bullpen that figures to be improved this year based on the resurgence of Pedro Strop at the end of last season, Bosio has a key job for the Cubs this season. 

A point of familiarity for current Cubs, Bosio should help bridge the transition into the new coaching regime. With a young bullpen on the rise, Bosio has to be sure to develop the bullpen into something that resembles that of the Cardinals, Pirates and Reds. All of those teams have been contenders in the NL Central in the past couple of seasons, and that's where the Cubs hope to be, likely starting in 2015 or 2016.