New Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is good friends with former Red Sox and Cubs first baseman Bill Buckner. Therefore, it was thought that Buckner may be a candidate for a spot on Valentine’s new coaching staff in Boston. However, it doesn’t appear that will happen.
ESPN.com reports that Buckner will be hired by the Cubs to become a minor league hitting coach. According to the report, Buckner will be the hitting coach for the Cubs’ Single-A affiliate, the Boise Hawks.
According to ESPN, Valentine and Buckner were open to working together in Boston, but the idea was met with resistance from the Red Sox front office.
Buckner, who served as the manager of the Brockton Rox in an independent league last summer, does have experience as a big-league hitting coach. He served that role for the Chicago White Sox in 1996 and 1997.
The move to Boise makes sense, too, as Buckner moved there after his playing career ended.
