Will Venable

Will is in his first year as a big league coach following nine seasons as an outfielder with the San Diego Padres (2008-15), Texas Rangers (2015) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2016) ... joined Chicago's organization in September of 2017 as a special assistant to the President/General Manager... Was selected by the Padres in the seventh round of the 2005 draft out of Princeton University... At Princeton, he was the second athlete in Ivy League history to be first-team All-Ivy in both basketball and baseball, joining Chris Young. w Received the B.F. Bunn Trophy in 2004-05, "awarded to that member of the Princeton varsity basketball team who through sportsmanship, play and influence has contributed most to the sport" ... compiled 1,010 career points in four seasons with the Tigers ... major in anthropology... Graduated from San Rafael (Calif.) High School ... lettered four times in basketball, three times in baseball and once in track and field... His father, Max, played parts of 12 major league seasons between 1979-91, and is now a minor league hitting coach in the Mariners organization.

Coaching Career

Will is in his first season as a coach on the professional level ... has been a player or executive in professional baseball since 2005.

Playing Career

A left-handed hitting outfielder, Will batted .249 with 81 home runs and 307 RBI in 967 major league games with the San Diego Padres (2008-15), Texas Rangers (2015) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2016) ... made his major league debut with the Padres in 2008... Best years came with San Diego from 2010-13, in which he ranked among the National League leaders in triples, while stealing 20 or more bases, in each of those seasons... Voted the Padres Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season when he became the eighth player in franchise history to record at least 20 home runs and 20 steals in a season... Recorded career-highs with a .268 batting average, 22 home runs and 53 RBI in 2013... Finished his playing career with 12 games for the Dodgers in 2016.

*Courtesy ChicagoBears.com