Cubs' Will Venable leaves front office to be 1st base coach

Nov 21, 2017 - 9:36 PM CHICAGO (AP) — Will Venable is leaving the Chicago Cubs front office to be their first base coach. The former major league outfielder was hired last summer as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. The 35-year-old Venable replaces Brandon Hyde, who has been promoted to bench coach for manager Joe Maddon. The Cubs also announced Tuesday that they had hired Jim Benedict as a special assistant to baseball operations. Benedict spent the previous two seasons as the vice president for pitching development for the Miami Marlins. ___ For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball