Sources: Cubs adding baserunning expert Berry as 3B coach

October 31st, 2024

CHICAGO -- Quintin Berry helped make baserunning a part of the Brewers’ offensive identity over the past four years as Milwaukee’s first-base coach. The Cubs now plan to bring his expertise and experience to manager Craig Counsell’s staff in Chicago.

On Thursday, multiple sources told MLB.com that the Cubs were in the process of hiring Berry to be their new third-base coach. The Cubs did not confirm the news, which was first reported by The Athletic.

Berry’s arrival will be part of Counsell’s reorganization of his coaching staff after the Cubs finished with 83 wins, missed the playoffs and ended 10 games behind the National League Central-winning Brewers. First-base coach Mike Napoli was let go at the end of the season, and the team later parted ways with third-base coach Willie Harris.

The Cubs also dismissed bullpen coach Darren Holmes, assistant hitting coach Jim Adduci and two strength and conditioning coaches after the season.

Harris and Napoli played key roles in the Cubs’ baserunning instruction and strategies, leaving a void in that department for 2025. Enter Berry, who was an elite base stealer in his brief Major League career and then established a strong coaching reputation as he moved from Milwaukee’s Minor League ranks to the big league staff.

Last year, the Brewers finished second in the Majors with 217 stolen bases, behind only the Nationals' 223. It marked the second-highest total in a season in Brewers history. Milwaukee led MLB in baserunning runs above average (19.7), per FanGraphs, and was third in baseball in stolen-base success rate (83%) and tied for third with a 33% run-scoring rate (percentage of times a baserunner went on to score).

The Cubs showed improvement in their team-wide baserunning as the season wore on, ending with 143 steals (eighth in MLB), 10.7 baserunning runs above average (tied for fourth) and an 83% stolen-base rate (tied for fourth). Chicago had 59 outs on the bases, trailing only the Reds (66) in that area for most in the Majors.

Berry, 39, worked as the Brewers’ first-base coach under Counsell (2021-23) and manager Pat Murphy ('24) after serving as a Minor League outfield and baserunning coordinator for the team in the previous two years. Across the ‘21-24 seasons, Milwaukee ranked third in MLB in steals (524) and baserunning runs above average (30.3).

As a player, Berry spent parts of five seasons in the Majors across 2012-17 between stints with the Tigers, Red Sox, Orioles, Cubs and Brewers as an outfielder and pinch-runner. He stole 29 bases in 31 chances in 132 career regular-season games, had five steals in five attempts in the postseason and won a World Series with the Red Sox in ’13.