Dec. 17--Cubs minor league managers Mark Johnson and Buddy Bailey will switch jobs next season, with Johnson replacing Bailey at Double-A Tennessee and Bailey moving from Tennessee to Class-A Myrtle Beach.
The move was made official on Thursday as the Cubs announced their minor league coaching staffs and coordinators for the 2016 season.
Johnson, the former White Sox catcher, is on a path to becoming a major league manager after winning back-to-back titles with two different affiliates. He guided Myrtle Beach to its first Carolina League championship since 2000, after taking the former Class-A Kane County affiliate (now South Bend) to the Midwest League title in 2014.
Among the other coaching moves, Phillies bullpen coach Rod Nichols will be the new pitching coach at Triple-A Iowa, while former Cubs infielder Chris Valaika was named co-hitting coach, along with Jeremy Farrell, of the Cubs' Rookie League team in Mesa, Ariz. Farrell is the son of Red Sox manager John Farrell.
Former pitcher Jim Brower replaces Derek Johnson as minor league pitching coordinator. Johnson, the former Vanderbilt pitching coach, was hired as the Brewers pitching coach after the season. Brower spent the last three years as pitching coach for the Royals Double-A team, Northwest Arkansas. Marlins Triple-A manager Andy Haines will be the new minor league hitting coordinator.
Former Cubs outfielder Darnell McDonald returns for his second year as mental skills program coordinator, and while hitting consultant Manny Ramirez was not on Thursday's list of hires, he is slated to return in the same capacity in 2016.
