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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He was the

bullpen coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the Chicago Cubs 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 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 Chicago Cubs farm system. Strode was the pitching coach for the Rookie League

Wytheville Cubs The Wytheville Cubs was the final name of the minor league baseball teams located in Wytheville, Virginia between 1948 and 1989. An affiliate of the Chicago Cubs from 1985 to 1989, the Wytheville Cubs were a member of the Rookie level Appalachi ...

in 1989, the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peor ...

from 1990 to 1991, the

Winston-Salem Spirits Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

in 1992, and the

Daytona Cubs Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as ...

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 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals and ...

Mike Quade Gregory Michael Quade (pronounced: KWAH-dee) (born March 12, 1957) is an American professional baseball coach and manager. The manager of the Rochester Red Wings, Triple-A farm system affiliate of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball fro ...

Dale Sveum Dale Curtis Sveum ( ; born November 23, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager. He most recently served as the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals. As a player, Sveum saw action in 12 major league seasons bet ...

, Rick Rentería, and

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

. 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 sportspeople {{baseball-manager-stub