The Cubs announced the hiring of former Major League outfielder Will Venable as a special assistant to the president/general manager Wednesday, adding his nine years of MLB experience to their brain trust.
Venable will assist in several aspects of the Cubs' baseball operations department, including work with Minor League affiliates, amateur player evaluation for the MLB Draft and assistance with the Major League club.
Venable, a Princeton alum, played for the Padres during the entirety of Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer's tenure in San Diego as GM. Venable posted a career .249/.315/.404 slash line with 135 stolen bases in 967 career games with the Padres, Rangers and Dodgers.
"I'm extremely grateful Jed and [president of baseball operations] Theo [Epstein] have given me the opportunity to learn from them and all of the great people in the Cubs organization," Venable said. "As my playing days have come to an end, I look forward to exploring new ways to have a positive impact on the game. I am excited to be part of the Cubs' family and their amazing tradition."