3 candidates to replace David Ross if Chicago Cubs fire him as manager
By Kevin Henry
Chicago Cubs potential replacement for David Ross: First base coach Mike Napoli
Ross and Napoli were teammates for a pair of seasons with the Boston Red Sox and Ross reached out to Napoli to join the Cubs staff in 2019, so the move might be awkward at first, but Napoli sliding into the manager’s position also makes sense on some levels.
Napoli has expressed an interest in becoming a manager someday, and the 41-year-old is already very familiar with the players and the system. A 12-year MLB veteran, Napoli would have the respect of the clubhouse as a former player.
“He’s got a really good reputation in the game,” Ross told The Chicago Tribune. “He’s done a lot and he’s somebody that, one, we have history together, we’re friends, but he’s also somebody that carries a lot of weight when it comes to experience in this game. That goes a long way in the dugout with the players.”
Any time a managerial change happens, it has to be something that isn’t too big of a shock for the players but can be enough of a spark to change things around. That’s what happened with the Philadelphia Phillies last season when Joe Girardi was ousted and Rob Thomson was brought in from the bench coach position to be the interim manager. The move sparked the Phillies to the World Series.
Napoli will likely be a name that gets interviews for upcoming open managerial positions around MLB. Could the Cubs be proactive and keep him in-house if a move away from Ross is made?