Mike Napoli jumped at Cubs coaching job, after seeing if Rangers had an opening
One full season out of baseball proved to be all Mike Napoli could handle.
So when his buddy, David Ross, was hired as Chicago Cubs manager and came calling to see if Napoli had any interest in joining his first coaching staff, it didn’t take long for Napoli to sign on.
His job title is quality assurance coach. The job description and duties are fluid.
Napoli wasn’t required to shave his now mammoth beard, so it was a good fit.
The Texas Rangers, the team he played with on three separate occasions, might have been a better fit, but the opening they had on manager Chris Woodward’s staff after Jayce Tingler left to become San Diego Padres manager had been filled by Corey Ragsdale.
Did Napoli and the Rangers ever talk about him joining their staff?
“My agent talked to them,” Napoli said. “I think there was an opportunity in the minor leagues to do some coaching with them. I didn’t know if that was the path I really wanted to take, but I knew this was a great opportunity for me here.”
General manager Jon Daniels confirmed that the Rangers had interest in Napoli coaching in the minors, though no specific role was discussed. The Rangers hired former big-leaguers Bobby Wilson to be the manager at Double A Frisco and Darwin Barney at Triple A Nashville even though neither had any previous coaching experience.
Napoli knows the grind of a baseball season. He loves the routine. He loves sharing his experiences with players who might have questions on anything, like how to navigate 162 games or how to snap a slump.
Hopefully no Cubs player asks him how to play left field.
After a knee injury early in 2018 and a year of retirement, it was time for him to get back in the game.
“I wasn’t sure when I was going to be ready,” Napoli said. “I was just itching to get back, starting that routine again. When Rossy got hired, I was excited, and I was literally hoping he’d call me and he did. He’s given me the freedom to kind of figure out my role.”
Napoli sees this job as a stepping stone to his ultimate goal.
“I want to manage some day,” said Napoli, who played for the Rangers in 2011-2012, 2015 and 2017. “I feel like I’m going to be a lifer, you know, especially being away from the game and how I missed it. Being around the guys and trying to make guys better, and I missed that.”
He’s aware there’s a path to being a manager. Ross’ was spending a couple years as a TV broadcaster.
“That’s what it seems like it is,” Napoli said, laughing. “I’ll see where it takes me. I’m only two or three weeks in, but I’m enjoying it.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 5:17 PM.
