Former Cubs catcher Jody Davis to manage Chiefs
Davis, 49, will be managing for the first time in his career after rejoining the Cubs organization this off-season. He will join the Cubs staff and players on the Peoria stop of the Cubs Caravan on Thursday, Jan. 12, at the RiverPlex. Davis, a native of Gainesville, GA, joined the Cubs in the Rule V draft in December 1980 and made his MLB debut in 1981. Originally chosen by the New York Mets in the 3rd round of the 1976 draft out of Middle Georgia College, Davis was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979 before being selected by the Cubs a year later.
In just under 1,100 games, Davis batted .245 with 127 career home runs while earning a Gold Glove in 1986 and two All-Star appearances. In 1983, Davis batted .271 with a career-high 24 home runs and 84 RBI while slugging .480. He finished the season 8th in the National League in home runs, slugging, RBI and extra base hits. A year later, Davis batted .256 with 19 homers and a career high 94 RBI while helping the Cubs win the Eastern Division. He finished 10th in MVP balloting and clubbed two homers in the NLCS against San Diego, one each coming in games 4 and 5. In September 1988, Davis was traded to the Atlanta Braves where he played two seasons.
Among the pitchers Davis caught in his 10 year career are: Fergie Jenkins, Rick Sutcliffe, Lee Smith, Dennis Eckersley, Greg Maddux, Goose Gossage, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.
Barbaro Garbey has joined the Cubs organization and will serve as the Chiefs hitting coach making a return to the Midwest League after a two-year absence. Garbey last coached in the Detroit Tigers organization as the hitting coach in West Michigan in 2003. He was in the same capacity for the Tigers in Oneonta of the New York-Penn League in 2002. Last year, Garbey coached youngsters at the Total Sports Facility in suburban Detroit and in 2000 he managed the Metro Detroit Renegades in the Michigan Women's Baseball League.
Garbey, 39, made history in 1980 when he became the first player to ever leave the Cuban National team and come to the United States as one of 125,000 who left Cuba in the Mariel Boatlift. The infielder/outfielder signed with Detroit in 1980 and made his debut in April 1984. He played 110 games as a rookie that season getting time at first base, second base, third base, outfield and DH. Garbey batted .287 that season with five homers, 17 doubles and 52 RBI as the Tigers led the AL East from day one and won the World Series in five games over San Diego. Garbey spent the next season in Detroit under Hall of Fame Manager Sparky Anderson before he was traded to Oakland. In 1988 he played in 30 games for Texas before retiring.
The Garbey family has a long history of successful athletic accomplishments both in Cuba and the United States. He is half brothers to both Livan and Orlando Hernandez who have combined to win four World Series in the last nine years. In 1978, Garbey was a member of the Cuban National Team that won the World Amateur Championships. His older brother Rolando won Cuba's first ever International Gold Medal in the light-middleweight boxing class at the 1967 Pan American Games and then won a Silver Medal in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and a Bronze in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. His sister Marcia took 4th at the 1972 Munich Olympics in the long jump which at the time was the highest ever finish for a Cuban woman in a track event.
Rich Bombard is also new to the Cubs organization after being part of the Tigers, Red Sox and Angels minor league systems since 1991. The pitching coach was in AA Jacksonville with Detroit in 1998 before leaving to join the Red Sox system. He served as the pitching coach in AAA Pawtucket of the International League from 1999 through the 2002 season working with such pitchers as Brian Rose, Tomo Ohka, John Wasdin, Paxton Crawford, Ramon Martinez and Bret Saberhagen. Bombard joined the Angels in 2003 and stayed in AAA as the pitching coach for Salt Lake in the Pacific Coast League for two seasons.
A 1982 10th round pick by the Houston Astros, Bombard pitched two seasons as the University of Florida leading the Gators to two regular-season SEC titles and back to back NCAA Regional appearances. In 1981 he went 9-2 with a 5.49 ERA in 13 starts. In the SEC tournament he was the winning pitcher in the championship game to give the Gators their first title in school history. The follow season, the right-hander went 11-6 with a 3.46 ERA and 11 complete games in 18 starts. In the '82 SEC Tournament Bombard tossed back to back complete game wins and set four Florida SEC Tournament records that still stand including a 10-inning win. Until 2005 he was the only pitcher in SEC Tournament history to win two consecutive Championship games. Bombard is among the top 10 on the Gators single season pitching list in four categories and top 10 on the career list in two categories.
Bombard's brother Marc has served as a minor league manager for many years and his currently the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies under Charlie Manuel. The two coached together in the 2000 AAA All-Star Game while Marc was managing Scranton/ Bombard was also a coach in the 2001 AAA All-Star Game and with the World squad in the 1999 Futures Game.
The Chiefs trainer will be Nick Frangella, a graduate of Illinois State University and a native of Orland Park, IL. This will be his second full season in the Cubs organization after he served in the same capacity in 2005 with the Short-Season Boise Hawks. He was a Cubs intern in 2004.
Peoria's 2005 manager Julio Garcia took another position in the Cubs organization in October when he became the Field Coordinator for Latin America allowing him more time at his Texas home with his wife and two young children. Pitching Coach Tom Pratt will return to Daytona Beach where he is expected to be reunited with many of the Chiefs top 2005 pitching prospects. Matt Johnson, the Chiefs 2005 trainer, is expected to serve in the same capacity this season for AA West Tennessee in the Southern League.