Chicago Cubs: Mental skills will be imperative in 2019

When Chicago Cubs mental skills coach Ken Ravizza passed away on July 2 of last year, the organization lost more than just a mentor and a teacher. They had lost part of their identity.

Ken Ravizza–who had known Joe Maddon since the 1980s–was one of the most influential thinkers in the game of baseball, and his impact on the Chicago Cubs (where he had coached from 2015 until his passing) was tangible.

From Jason Heyward‘s rain delay speech in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series to a 2017 season where the Cubs responded to a 43-45 record at the All-Star Break by going 49-25 in the second half, Ravizza’s lessons of confronting and conquering adversity seemed to define an organization that made three…