Commentary: We owe David Ross an apology |
As the recent stretch of brutal Cubs baseball continues, one thing is apparent: David Ross certainly got the short end of the stick, taking the blame for the Cubs' struggles in 2023.
After the Cubs’ September collapse last fall, when they missed the playoffs by one game, it became apparent that the offseason would be an important one for Jed Hoyer and company. Although the Cubs won 83 games, they seemed a few pieces away from truly contending for an NL Central title. The Cubs needed a ‘splash’. With names like Shohei Ohtani in free agency and Juan Soto and Tyler Glasnow on the trade market — and the Cubs listed as suitors for all three — the Cubs seemed poised for a busy and loud Winter. Instead, it was a familiar quiet. The Cubs lost Marcus Stroman and Jeimer Candelario in free agency and signed Shota Imanaga and Hector Neris. They traded a few minor leaguers to the Dodgers in exchange for prospect Michael Busch. The token move of the offseason was resigning Cody Bellinger, which came in late February and contained opt-outs. There was a splash. It just didn’t affect the Cubs lineup—it affected the man who makes the Cubs lineup. In a stunning move, the Cubs fired David Ross and swooped in to hire former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell. Counsell is known around the league for his excellent decision-making skills, particularly in the bullpen, and is well-regarded as one of the league’s top skippers. Hoyer essentially returned the same team that fell one game short in 2023 and banked on the idea that a top manager could swing some of the Cubs' close losses and turn them into a playoff team. Well, here we are, almost in July — and the Cubs are in last place, a season-low six games below .500. The Cubs have played a whopping 32 of their 80 games as one-run contests and have lost 18. The Cubs have blown 17 saves and are on pace to set the single-season record in that category. It. Has. Been. Ugly. Perhaps Counsell’s “prowess” managing a bullpen came partly from the fact that the Brewers had reliable arms in their bullpen, i.e., Josh Hader, Devin Williams, etc. The Cubs' top-rated defense in 2023 was one of the league’s worst in 2024—specifically behind the plate, which, of course, was an area of Ross’ expertise. Plus, the Cubs lead the league in outs made on the base paths, displaying a level of nonchalantness on the diamond that Counsell carries. Ross wasn’t perfect. He was more-or-less a hand-picked answer from the front office who managed a team of his friends and worked under his friends — there were probably a lot of “decisions” attributed to Ross that the higher-ups made. But at the very least, Ross was fiery; he showed emotion, and his players responded by playing hard for him. The Cubs were strong defensively, their catchers played like they were coached by one, and they often looked like a winning ball club. This also isn’t to say that Counsell is to blame for all of the Cubs’ struggles. The entire circle of trust from last season’s bullpen (Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr.) has been either ineffective or injured all season long — and the entire Cubs’ offense has regressed player to player. Hoyer didn’t foresee that, and it is not Counsell’s fault. However, you can’t deny that Ross got more out of those players and that bullpen than Counsell has in 2024. To be fair, through June 24th, the 2023 and 2024 teams had identical records. Ross led the 2023 team on a stretch that led to buying at the trade deadline and looking poised to make a playoff appearance before a September collapse. The question now becomes, can Counsell lead this team on a similar run without losing steam in September? Perhaps that’s looking too far ahead. Can Counsell lead the Cubs out of this current stretch, at least? It sure hasn’t seemed like it. The bottom line is that David Ross took a lot of blame for the Cubs’ late-season misfortune in 2023, and it’s starting to look like that was undeserved blame. This isn’t to say that Counsell deserves all of the blame for similar struggles in 2024, as I think Jed Hoyer should shoulder a lot of this. But at the very least, I think it is fair to say we owe David Ross an apology.
