The 1986 Iowa Cubs, the top minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, fell short of winning the Triple-A American Association title that year.
But it certainly wasn’t due to a lack of knowledge in the dugout.
One of the pitchers for Iowa that season was Greg Maddux, who earned nicknames such as “Mad Dog” and “The Professor” during a Major League career that landed him in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His brother, Mike, was the pitching coach of the Washington Nationals the past two seasons and is now with the St. Louis Cardinals.
An outfielder on that Iowa club was the cerebral Terry Francona, who guided the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles and almost captured his third ring with the Cleveland Indians in a seven-game loss to the Cubs in the 2016 Fall Classic.