When news broke that Chili Davis would be replacing John Mallee as Cubs hitting coach, the announcement that Brian Butterfield had taken over for Gary Jones as third base coach was little more than a footnote. Not that you’d expect anything different for a seemingly ancillary role on the staff. But perhaps Butterfield is worthy of a bit more attention.
Before we get into that, though, a short preamble on the titular use of “new.” Back in March, we talked about Mike Borzello’s importance to the Cubs. The catching instructor is a veritable baseball savant, adept at breaking down the tendencies of hitters and pitchers alike.