Today, the Chicago Cubs announced their minor league managers, coaching staffs, and coordinators for the 2021 season. The official team releases are included below.
What’s most notable is the manager announcement, which appears to confirm that the Cubs are indeed contracting down to just one rookie league team in each of Arizona and the Dominican Republic. Previously, the Cubs had two of each. With the draft shrinking (dramatically last year, and less dramatically – but still shrinking permanently to something like 10 to 20 rounds), you can see why a second stateside rookie league club might not be necessary or fill-able in the current setup. Nevertheless, I’d hoped the Cubs would still see it as a possible edge, especially in the Dominican Republic where signings are not necessarily as limited internationally. Maybe all teams are doing this? What was going to happen at the rookie level was never as clear as what was happening in the full-season leagues (every organization now