SAN DIEGO – Former Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez reached the 2019 postseason the Cubs and mentor Joe Maddon didn’t, won the World Series the Cubs didn’t sniff the last two years and then survived the hot seat Maddon couldn’t.
And now, after two seasons as a first-time manager for the Washington Nationals, Martinez goes from the parade route to spring training trying to draw on one more Cubs’ shortcoming to win again.
Martinez said this week his message to players in camp will involve emphasizing the Nats’ processes and approach that worked this year – but also with sober recall of some of the issues and mistakes that put the Cubs in a deep first-half hole during their failed 2017 championship defense.