Levine: Kris Bryant, Addison Russell Helped By Unsung Cubs Coach

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The ascension of young Cubs infielders Kris Bryant and Addison Russell has been fun to watch for the Wrigley faithful. Behind the scenes, the hard work that's put in by the coaching staff in getting these players ready mostly goes unheralded except by the front office and the manager.

Give Cub fans three guesses and they mostly would draw a blank on the name of the infield coach on the team. As a matter of fact, they probably would have a tough time picking out the Cubs third-base coach from a police lineup.

The name Gary Jones would be the correct answer to both questions. Jones came to the team in 2014 as Rick Renteria's third-base coach and stayed on after Joe Maddon was hired because he's highly respected and good at what he does. Normally, when one coach is closely associated with a manager, he's fired when his friend is let go. That wasn't the case with Jones.

"He is really good," Maddon said. "The guys in the front office told me that they really supported him a lot. What I have learned is he is really sharp in the third-base coach's box. He doesn't miss a thing. Our communication has been outstanding. He just makes really good decisions. He can get his point across to players in a calm and lucid manor."

The quality infield instructing part of the gig was evident when Jones helped Starlin Castro cut his errors almost in half during the 2014 season. Like any excellent instructor, Jones gives all the credit to Castro.

"Starlin was going to get better because he came to work every day," Jones said. "We started to get more movement from him before each pitch. The results were good for him. He really is seeing the ball and reacting to it very well."

Bryant and Russell are the veteran coach's babies now. Every day before batting practice, Jones has a special tutorial session with Russell that goes from 20 minutes to a half hour. Part of the training is physical, and Russell learns the nuances at a position never played before.

"The physical part will take care of itself, I believe," Russell said. "The actual learning of the position is what I am focused on. (Gary) is a good guy to talk to, and he gives instructions that are easy to understand. You are really comfortable knowing what he tells you is a tried and true formula. I can pick his brain on any aspect of the game and get really good feedback. He is very personable. I like him a lot."

Bryant has also prospered under Jones.

"We have been working with Kris to stay down in a lower fielder's stance," Jones said. "People like Kris who are long and angular have a tendency to stand up taller. That makes it tougher to get down on balls that hug the ground. He has worked hard to improve, and you can see the results getting better all the time. We have some talented young people to work with."

Give Maddon, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer credit for keeping Jones, a valuable piece of the player development equation, even if such a move was out of the ordinary.

"Gary has been an outstanding coach for us," Hoyer said. "He is never really singled out at third base. That in itself is a sign of excellence. His decision-making process has been that good. Like a good official, no one mentions his name. This is not because he is risk averse at all. He has simply shown excellent judgement."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.