Manny Ramirez will serve as a hitting consultant for the Chicago Cubs this season, the club announced Tuesday, reuniting the 12-time All-Star with a trio of contributors from the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox teams.
President of baseball operations Theo Epstein hired his former player to help mentor the club's young group of hitters after Ramirez found success in a similar role last season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate in Iowa.
"Manny got rave reviews from everyone he worked with," Epstein said following the announcement.
Ramirez, who turns 43 this spring, served as a player-coach for the Iowa Cubs in 2014 and was credited with helping Cuban power-hitter Jorge Soler's ascension to the majors last summer.
"I learned a lot from Manny," Soler told Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago in August. "He's always talking with me about hitting, about personality stuff, what I'm doing on the field, off the field. Again, he's a tremendous person."
Ramirez, who won two titles with the Red Sox under Epstein's reign as general manager, will be joined by former teammate Kevin Youkilis, whom the Cubs also officially named as part of their front office Tuesday. Youkilis will consult on scouting and player development.
Epstein said he expects Ramirez to be in uniform at Wrigley Field helping hitters one homestand per month.
The hiring of Ramirez and Youkilis also reunites the pair with Cubs' offseason acquisition Jon Lester. Ramirez and Youkilis were members of Boston's 2004 World Series-winning team, while Lester won with the pair in 2007.
