James Lester Strode (born June 17, 1958) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

coach. He was the bullpen coach for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

from 2007 through 2019.

Career

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 The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

in the 4th round of the 1980 amateur draft and played in the minors from 1980 to 1988. After his playing career ended, he was a longtime pitching coach in the

farm system. Strode was the pitching coach for the

Rookie League Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Wytheville Cubs in 1989, the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

Peoria Chiefs from 1990 to 1991, the Winston-Salem Spirits in 1992, and the Daytona Cubs in 1993. He was then the Cubs' minor league pitching coordinator from 1996 to 2006. Following the 2006 season, he became the Cubs' bullpen coach. Strode served as the Cubs bullpen coach from 2007 through 2019, under managers

Lou Piniella Louis Victor Piniella ( usually ; born August 28, 1943) is a former professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder, he played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals a ...

, Mike Quade, Dale Sveum, Rick Rentería, and

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager (baseball), manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing ...

. He was a member of the 2016 coaching staff for the Cubs that led the team winning the World Series. In December 2006, Strode was chosen as a member of the Warren County (TN) Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted to the Kentucky State Thorobreds sport
Hall of Fame
in 2017.

References

External links

Cubs.com bio
1958 births Living people African-American baseball coaches People from McMinnville, Tennessee Baseball coaches from Tennessee Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Chicago Cubs coaches Gulf Coast Royals players Charleston Royals players Fort Myers Royals players Jacksonville Suns players Memphis Chicks players Omaha Royals players Rochester Red Wings players Louisville Redbirds players Iowa Cubs players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportsmen {{baseball-manager-stub