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Will Venable, who has been a key part of the Cubs coaching staff for three seasons and who interviewed for the manager’s job when David Ross was hired, is leaving the team:
Update: Per source, Will Venable will be the Red Sox bench coach https://t.co/3uwcYTvzTc
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) November 17, 2020
Venable, who turned 38 last month, played nine years in the major leagues for the Padres, Rangers and Dodgers from 2008-16, hitting .249/.315/.404 with 81 home runs in 967 games. He’s been a very highly-regarded coach in the Cubs organization, serving as first-base coach in 2018 and 2019 and third-base coach this past season.
So, the Cubs will search for a replacement. At this juncture I don’t know who that would be. This is pure speculation on my part, but it’s possible Mike Napoli, who served as quality control coach in 2020, could be promoted to a base-coach position. Napoli is a longtime friend and teammate of Ross.
Lastly, Will Venable’s dad is Max Venable, who played 12 big-league seasons for the Giants, Expos, Reds and Angels from 1979-91.