Theo Epstein throws his weight behind Chicago Cubs' manager – MLB News
Despite the steep decline seen in team’s performance compared to last year, Chicago Cubs' president of baseball operations Theo Epstein on Tuesday, October 2, threw his weight behind manager Dale Sveum, saying he did a really good job despite the odds.
Chicago Cubs, unlike last year, have lost 100 of their games this year, something they might not have anticipated given the entirely different management put in place. It was Mike Quade who was dismissed the past season due to the Cubs’ poor performance.
However, Tuesday saw Theo Epstein coming to the Dale Sveum’s defence.
"The 100 losses are not his fault the least bit," said Cubs' Epstein. "He's done a really good job of maintaining as much of a winning culture as he possibly can during a season like this."
Cubs' manager, backed by the front staff, has been putting extraordinary efforts to instil a winning spirit in a fresh line-up, majority of whom now consists of the relatively young players brought in from the Minor Leagues.
When Dale Sveum took managerial charge, he was undeniably faced with numerous odds and challenges. With a bulk of veteran players, the Cubs inability last year to do well had a big lesson for the team in necessitating the induction of young players.
That is what Sveum did. Resultantly, both the management and the players as a whole have a consensus on the manager’s fair handling of the challenges he was confronting.
"I have nothing but praise for him, especially the way he handled me when I came up and put me directly in the three-hole and stuck with me," Cubs' first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "The confidence he puts in us, and all the players -- we all love playing for him. It's so easy to talk to him.”
Cubs are now playing the last series of the season, facing the Houston Astros. With 100 losses, nonetheless, the Cubs will have a future ahead which seems bright given the pool of talent available to them now.
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