(670 The Score) The Cubs have shifted from two veteran pitching coaches in Chris Bosio and Jim Hickey in the past two years to a newcomer at the position in Tommy Hottovy.
Though he's inexperienced, the Cubs know the 37-year-old Hottovy well. He previously worked in a front office role in which he helped the pitchers prepare for each game, establishing a base of knowledge and the players' trust along the way.
That's why the Cubs are excited for what he can bring.
"That's going awesome," right-hander Kyle Hendricks said on the Bernstein & McKnight Show on Friday. "And we kind of all knew it would. He's been part of this group for a few years now."
Hottovy made a combined 17 appearances in the big leagues in 2011 and 2012 before enrolling in a sabermetrics class at Boston University. The resignation of Hickey last November after one season in the role meant the Cubs needed their third pitching coach in as many years. Hottovy was ready for his opportunity and explained on the Mully & Haugh Show on Thursday that a key part of his new role will be to present information catered best to the pitchers and their personalities, providing it in an easily digestible way to help them be successful.
Hendricks and the Cubs trust in what Hottovy provides.
"He's such a hard worker," Hendricks said. "He's really good at kind of all aspects of it. He's done the advanced game planning, scouting report kind of stuff. And he can also use all this technology to see when you're off but also the eye test. He's known all these guys so well for so many years now, he can see when a guy is off just from the naked eye.
"We trust Tommy so much. It seems like a very natural role for him to be in so far this year. He's really managed it well. He's transparent with all the guys, up front, which we couldn't ask anything more from. We just love him as a guy. I think it's going to be a really fun year with him."
