Lester Strode
| Lester Strode | |||
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Strode in 2008. | |||
Chicago Cubs – No. 35 | |||
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Born: June 17, 1958 McMinnville, Tennessee | |||
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James Lester Strode (born June 17, 1958 in McMinnville, Tennessee) is the bullpen coach for the Chicago Cubs.
He was born and raised in McMinnville, Tennessee, often crediting McMinnville as his home. After attending Kentucky State University, Strode was selected as a pitcher by the Kansas City Royals in the 4th round of the 1980 amateur draft and played in the minors from 1980 to 1988.[1][2]
After his playing career ended, he was a longtime pitching coach in the Chicago Cubs farm system.[2] Strode was the pitching coach for the Rookie League Wytheville Cubs in 1989, the Single-A Peoria Chiefs from 1990-1991, the Winston-Salem Spirits in 1992, and the Daytona Cubs in 1993.[2] He was then the Cubs' minor league pitching coordinator from 1996-2006.[2] Following the 2006 season, he became the Cubs' bullpen coach.[3] Strode is currently the longest tenured Cubs coach, having served as bullpen coach since 2007, under managers Lou Piniella, Mike Quade, Dale Sveum, Rick Renteria, and Joe Maddon.
In December 2006, Strode was chosen as a member of the Warren County (TN) Sports Hall of Fame.[4]
References
- ↑ "Lester Strode Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Lester Strode #35". Chicago.cubs.mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ↑ "Cubs Add Three Coaches". WSB-TV. 27 October 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ↑ "Strode guest of honor at Cumberland Thursday". Southern Standard. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Cubs.com bio
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Lester_Strode