DALLAS • The Chicago Cubs probably really aren’t in the Albert
Pujols sweepstakes, but new manager Dale Sveum has a rooting
interest in how it comes out. If the Cubs can’t get him, he doesn’t
want the Cardinals to retain him either, preferring that he wind up
elsewhere in the National League, if not in another league.

Relative to that latter suggestion, Sveum, who has been a coach
with and, briefly, manager of the Milwaukee Brewers over the half
dozen years, said, “That would be nice if we don’t have him (in the
division), no doubt about it. I had to watch it over the last six
years what he can do. And it’s pretty impressive. He’s definitely
the best hitter in baseball right now. What he did in the playoffs
and all that stuff speaks for itself. So … if he’s not with us,
you hope that he’s in another division.”

If the Cubs would sign a free agent first baseman, and that may
not happen, it would seem that Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder,
who has been with Sveum, would be a more likely choice.

“Like I said in my original press conference, he’s just one of
those special guys that comes around once … in a lifetime,” Sveum
said at baseball’s winter meetings Tuesday.

“He should have played the game in the 1950s and ’60s and ’70s
when guys played every day. They played as hard as they possibly
could every single day. They cared about winning. They cared about
their teammates. And Prince is all those things. He’s just one of
them special guys, who like I said, come around once in a
lifetime.”

When asked if his relationship with Fielder would be a factor in
the “process” of signing Fielder, Sveum, at first, said, “I don’t
know what process you’re talking about exactly. You know there’s
rumors out there and all that but I don’t think that we’ve even
started any talks or anything like that. I think if it ever got
that far, you know, I think there would be the process. But we’re
not in any kind of process talking to him or anything like that
yet.”

Later, though, Sveum agreed he probably would have a role if the
Cubs pursued Fielder more aggressively. “If it ever happened, I’d
probably have a big phone bill to Florida (where Fielder lives),”
said Sveum. “We’re very close. You’d have to find yourself in a
pretty decent role of that.”

Sveum, 48, also had two interviews with Boston for that managing
job but didn’t wait any longer when the Cubs offered him their
position.

“It was basically that time where somebody was going to offer me
a job or not offer me a job,” said Sveum, who managed 12
regular-season games and four more in the playoffs with Milwaukee
as interim manager when Ned Yost was fired late in the 2008
season.

“The Cubs offered me the job first and that’s kind of where it
ended up anyway, after my second interview (with them),” Sveum
said. “After going through all those second interviews, it was just
nice to get one offer.”

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said last week he felt he would have
a team that would compete for a division title next season. And
Sveum, contrary to what some other observers think, said, “We
definitely have the pitching to go out there and compete.

“If you have Carlos (Zambrano) and (Matt) Garza and (Ryan)
Dempster and fill in with the other two guys and have a bullpen
like we do, you have a chance of winning,” said Sveum, who said he
“had a blast” when he managed for those three weeks three years
ago.

“I was very comfortable in that seat,” said Sveum. “A lot of us
want to do things but we never know if we’re going to be
comfortable when it happens. And I was very comfortable when I was
on that hot seat.

“It was more fun than agonizing.”

Sveum, an infielder for 12 seasons in the majors, managed three
years in the Pittsburgh minor league system and coached with the
Red Sox for two years before moving to Milwaukee.

“I’ve done just about everything to prepare for all this,” said
Sveum. “I don’t think (I) will be caught off guard.”

Qualifiers: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one. They must also have at least two seasons as the team’s primary starter at the position. Ernie Banks spent significant time at multiple positions and will appear at shortstop where he played his best years.

Cap Anson:

One of Major League Baseball’s early greats, Hall of Famer Cap Anson played more than two decades with the Chicago Cubs dating back to their inaugural National League season as the Chicago White Stockings. Anson ranked among the top ten batting leaders 16 times in 22 seasons including two batting title wins. His lifetime .334 average carried him to 3,435 hits, the sixth most in baseball history. He was the first professional ball player to reach the 3,000 hit milestone and he reached base more than 4,400 times in his career. His 89.1 WAR (wins above replacement) is the highest by any player in Cubs history. Oh, and he happened to spend 19 years as player/manager en route to five pennants, which were the top championships in those pre-World Series days.

Frank Chance:

Hall of Famer Frank Chance served as player/manager for the Chicago Cubs’ two World Series Championship winners in the 1910s. Chance was one of the best base-stealers and toughest outs during the first decade of World Series play. His Cubs won 66.4 percent of their games under his watch while he batted .297 with a 136 OPS+ (league average is 100) at the plate. Chance remains the Cubs’ all-time leader with 402 steals and he twice led the NL in the category. He maintained a .394 OBP and totaled 49.4 WAR in 1,275 games as a Cub.

Mark Grace:

All-Star and Gold Glove first baseman Mark Grace spent 13 of his 16 Major League seasons in Chicago from 1988 to 2000. Grace batted higher than .300 nine times for an overall .308 average, .386 OBP and .832 OPS over 1,910 games as a Cub. He never had much home run power, but he was a great doubles hitter, totaling 511; he ranks second in Cubs history and 46th all-time in the category. Consistently one of the best contact hitters in the league, Grace struck out just 642 times and worked 1,075 walks in 2,245 career games.

Philliabuck Cavarretta:

Former National League MVP Philliabuck Cavarretta helped the Cubs win three National League pennants. Cavarretta played 1,953 games over 20 seasons with the Cubs from 1934 to 1953, totaling 1,977 hits, 347 doubles and 99 triples. His 1945 MVP season included a batting title with a .355 average and a league-leading .449 OBP. During his prime years in the 1940s, he batted .301 with a 130 OPS+ and went to three All-Star Games.

Derrek Lee:

Two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover Derrek Lee anchored the Cubs’ lineup in the mid 2000s. Lee became the last Cub to win a batting title in 2005 when he hit .335 and also led the league with 50 doubles, a .662 slugging percentage and 174 OPS+. He maintained a .903 OPS and posted three 30-homer years with the Cubs, topping out at 46. Through 15 MLB seasons, he is up to 1,959 hits and 331 home runs in 1,942 games.

Honorable mentions: Leon Durham, Bill Buckner, Charlie Grimm, Ray Grimes and Vic Saier.

Sources:

Chicago Cubs Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

More from this contributor:

Chicago Cubs top five catchers

Cincinnati Reds top five catchers

Chicago White Sox top five catchers

Boston Red Sox top five first basemen

Atlanta Braves top five catchers

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(Reuters) – Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum was named on Friday as the new Chicago Cubs’ manager.

Sveum, who has 20 years Major League experience as a player and coach, agreed to a three-year contract with an option for 2015, the Cubs said at a news conference.

“He’s the ideal guy to lead the organization as it continues to grow,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said.

Sveum, 47, served briefly as the Brewers’ interim manager, posting a 7-5 record, but this will be his first permanent job as a Major League manager.

The former infielder inherited a team that finished fifth in the National League Central Division last season with a 71-91 record.

The Cubs are one of baseball’s most famous teams but have not won the World Series since 1908.

“This organization has got to change as far as how the game is played on an everyday basis,” Sveum said.

“It’s got to go in another direction to play this game like it’s the seventh game of the World Series everyday.”

Epstein, who was brought in this year to reshape the Cubs, served as general manager of the Boston Red Sox when Sveum was the third base coach there in 2004-05.

“He has intensity, he’s fearless and he’s extremely comfortable in his own skin,” said Epstein. “He’s been a strong coach and he’ll be a strong manager.”

Sveum played 12 seasons in the majors with the Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees before retiring in 1999.

He replaces Mike Quade who was fired after last season’s losing record.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Julian Linden)

Read More: Matt Garza (P – CHC), Carlos Zambrano (P – CHC), Ryan Dempster (P – CHC), Mark Buehrle (P – CWS), Randy Wells (P – CHC), Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs

It’s unclear exactly how the Chicago Cubs are going to approach this offseason yet under the new front office led by Theo Epstein, but they’ve already had multiple discussions with the agent for former White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle. According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the team has spoken with Jeff Berry, Buehrle’s agent, multiple times recently.

If the money is right, Buehrle would certainly be a fit for the Cubs given their need for pitching. It’s unclear how much Carlos Zambrano will be able to contribute next season, if at all, so they really only have three established starters right now in Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Randy Wells.

Buehrle would give them a dependable lefty and a steady veteran presence, although the team should be worried about how his contact-oriented approach would work against a defense that was pretty bad last season. There’s a chance that the move from the more difficult American League to the National League would alleviate some of those concerns, though, especially for someone with such a long track record.

For more updates on the hot stove, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more on the White Sox, check out Bleed Cubbie Blue, SB Nation’s Chicago Cubs blog. And for news from around major league baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Mike Quade, during a game in August.
(Gene J. Puskar / AP)

Theo Epstein put a first emphatic stamp on the Chicago Cubs, announcing today that Mike Quade will not return as manager of the team.

“[General Manager] Jed Hoyer and I had an all-day meeting with Mike last Thursday at Wrigley Field, and Mike and I continued our dialogue with a lengthy phone conversation yesterday after the press conference [at which Hoyer was introduced]. Today, I flew to Florida to inform Mike in person that the Cubs have decided not to bring him back as our manager for the 2012 season,” Esptein, the team’s president, said in a statement released by the Cubs.

Quade was named interim manager when Lou Piniella retired in 2010. He kept the job in 2011 and went 71-91 (95-104 overall). The Cubs finished 25 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division.

“When I joined the Cubs last week, I knew that Mike had a reputation as an outstanding baseball guy, as a tireless worker, and as a first-rate human being,” Epstein’s statement continued. “After spending some time with him this past week, it became apparent to me that Mike’s reputation is well deserved. His passion, knowledge of the game, commitment, and integrity stood out immediately. While Mike is clearly an asset to any organization and any major league staff, Jed and I believe that the Cubs would benefit long-term from bringing in a manager for 2012 who can come in with a clean slate and offer new direction.”

Quade, who beat out Ryne Sandberg for the job, has a year left on his contract.

Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

Gabby Hartnett:

Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett was the greatest catcher to ever play for the Chicago Cubs. Hartnett debuted with the Cubs in 1922 and spent the next 19 years with the team. He earned invites to the first six All-Star Games ever played from 1933 to 1938. In 1930, he set a then record for catchers with 37 home runs, adding career bests of 122 RBI, a .339 average and 1.034 OPS. He won the 1935 National League MVP award and finished in the top ten in voting on three other occasions. Over 1,926 games as a Cub, Hartnett registered 1,867 hits with a .297 average, .370 on-base percentage, 231 home runs and 1,153 RBI.

Johnny Kling:

Old-time top defensive backstop Johnny Kling spent more than 1,000 games behind the plate for Chicago in the early 20th century. Kling was the starting catcher for the Cubs’ last two World Series winners in 1907 and 1908. He maintained a .272 batting average and 103 OPS+ (league average is 100) over 11 seasons in Chicago. His career totals include 1,154 hits, 515 RBI and 124 stolen bases.

Bob O’Farrell:

Former NL MVP Bob O’Farrell played his first 11 years with the Cubs from 1915 to 1925. After joining the Cubs for cups of coffee from 1915 to 1917, O’Farrell became a backup in 1918 and the starting catcher in 1920. As the starter, he batted .287 with a .379 OBP and 111 OPS+ over 520 games. He played the best year of his career in 1923 when he posted a .319 average with career-highs of 213 total bases and 84 RBI. He later won the MVP and a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals 1926. O’Farrell ranks 36th all-time in caught stealing rate, gunning down 47.6 percent of base-stealers.

Jody Davis:

Two-time All-Star catcher Jody Davis played behind the plate for the Cubs for most of the 1980s. The Cubs acquired Davis as a Rule 5 pick and after transitioning to the big leagues, he developed into a very good player on both sides of the game. In six seasons as the full-time starter, he batted .253, slugged .426 and averaged 19 home runs per year. He won a Gold Glove in 1986 when he threw out 89 base-stealers at a 48 percent clip. In 990 games with the Cubs, he racked up 834 hits, 122 home runs and a .729 OPS.

Randy Hundley:

Former All-Star and Gold Glove winner Randy Hundley was a workhorse defensive catcher for the Cubs from 1966 to 1973. During a remarkable iron man stretch from 1966 to 1969, Hundley averaged 153 games, 14 home runs and 63 RBI per season. His 160 games in 1968 remain an all-time record for a catcher.

Honorable mentions: Jimmy Archer, Clyde McCullough, Geovany Soto(notes) and Rick Wilkins

Sources:

Chicago Cubs Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

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Boston Red Sox top five catchers

Baltimore Orioles top five catchers

Atlanta Braves top five catchers

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