Earlier this week, the Chicago Cubs surprised the baseball global after they employed supervisor Craig Counsell clear of the Milwaukee Brewers. The surprise used to be no longer Counsell leaving the Brewers. The surprise used to be the Cubs being the workforce that employed him as a result of they already had a supervisor: David Ross. The workforce disregarded Ross so they may rent Counsell.
“This is no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer stated. “But Craig is at the very top of the game. It’s hard to rank managers but he’s at the very top of the game.”
On Thursday, Ross spoke for the primary time since being disregarded through the Cubs, and whilst he did recognize having some anger, he made certain to thank the group for giving him a likelihood. Here’s what Ross told the Tallahassee Democrat, his place of birth newspaper:
“I think the thing that comes over me is that I am extremely thankful for the opportunity, to be honest,” an emotional Ross advised the Tallahassee Democrat in an unique interview Thursday.
“There was a lot of people who worked really hard alongside me. … I am really thankful for the four years I got, coming from zero coaching experience to getting the chance to manage such a great organization that has impacted my life in a great way. There’s great people there. I really don’t have a whole lot negative to say, to be honest.
“I am getting mad from time to time however I have a lot to be grateful for.”
Ross, 46, retired as a participant after profitable the World Series with the Cubs in 2016. He joined the Cubs as a particular assistant in baseball operations in Jan. 2017 and in addition labored as a colour commentator with ESPN. The Cubs named him their supervisor in Oct. 2019, so whilst Ross had some entrance workplace revel in, he had no training or managing revel in by any means. He went from the printed sales space to the dugout.
In 4 seasons underneath Ross the Cubs went 262-284 (.480), even though Chicago spent a number of of the ones seasons rebuilding, or no less than retooling. The Cubs received the NL Central within the 60-game pandemic season in 2020 they usually hung across the postseason race deep into September in 2023.
Ross signed a three-year contract extension in March 2022. The Cubs are nonetheless at the hook for his wage in 2024. Chicago reset the managerial wage scale through giving Counsell a five-year, $40 million contract.