Chicago Cubs: David Ross has provided a lot of answers already

In his brief time as Chicago Cubs skipper, David Ross has already provided a good amount of stability and the clarity the team so desperately needed.

The writing was on the wall long before the season’s final days last summer. We all knew Joe Maddon was on his way out. A perfect marriage between the three-time Manager of the Year and the Chicago Cubs had soured for various reasons and it was clear the team would have a new skipper when players reported for camp this spring.

That new manager happened to be former fan favorite and front office member David Ross. Although we don’t know when he’ll stand atop the dugout steps for his first regular season action, there’s been nothing but good things to this point.

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As if learning the ropes as a big league manager weren’t enough, the Cubs – along with the rest of Major League Baseball – hit pause on spring training, allowing players to go home in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"“There’s no standard for this or experience to pull from,” Ross told MLB.com. “It’s unique times. There’s unique circumstances and we’re trying to protect each other. And the powers that be, the higher-ups, are making tough decisions, but real decisions for what’s best for our communities and our sports.”"

But if there’s anyone who will keep grinding to make sure he’s prepared for when baseball does return, it’s Ross, who has done nothing but check every box when it comes to the job he’s done so far this spring.

I love Maddon and the job he did during his time here. It’ll be strange to watch my first game of the year (somehow, I didn’t see a single spring training game because of the lack of carriage with Marquee Network) and see someone other than Maddon in the dugout.

But in the last two years, to borrow from a particularly poignant fan at this January’s Cubs Convention, it was the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Maddon refused to set regular lineups or give his best player, Kris Bryant, the leadoff spot. Ross, meanwhile, wasted no time in addressing what’s been arguably the team’s biggest offensive issue over the last few seasons. He tapped Bryant as his go-to guy atop the order and everything else seems ready to fall into order behind him.

Having that consistent presence out of the leadoff spot every day could very well be the key to unlocking the raw potential this group of guys carry. Chicago hopes that will help the offense get back on track after falling off in the wake of the team’s World Series run in 2016.

Besides addressing the leadoff issue, Ross answered perhaps the one question people had about him as manager: how would he lead a clubhouse of former teammates? How did he do this? By making it clear that it would be either Yu Darvish or Kyle Hendricks on Opening Day, not seasoned left-hander Jon Lester, who had started all but one of the team’s previous five openers.

So while we wait for baseball to return, Cubs fans can take some solace in the fact that David Ross has done everything right so far – and looks like he’s ready to take the reins and lead the team into a new era.