Former Baltimore Orioles Coach To Join Chicago Cubs

A former Baltimore Orioles pitching coach will be taking over a famiilar role with the Chicago Cubs.

A former Baltimore Orioles pitching coach is reportedly set to join the Chicago Cubs, per The Athletic.

Darren Holmes, who spent the past three seasons with the Orioles as their assistant pitching coach, and a season before that as their bullpen coach, will take over as the Cubs’ bullpen coach under new manager Craig Counsell.

The Orioles originally hired Holmes in 2019. He departed the organization after the season. 

Before the Orioles, Holmes was the Colorado Rockies’ bullpen coaches for five seasons.

Holmes was instrumental in supporting a young pitching staff as it helped the Orioles win 101 games and the American League East in 2023.

Kyle Bradish finished fourth in Cy Young voting and was Second-Team All-MLB. Reliever Félix Bautista was All-MLB First Team and the Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year.

The Orioles will also return Dean Kremer, Grayson Rodriguez, Tyler Wells and John Means to their rotation in 2024.

Before he coached, Holmes carved out a long career as a reliever, making his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1990 and finishing his career with the Atlanta Braves in 2003. He pitched for eight different teams, including part of the 2000 season with the Orioles (he also pitched with Arizona and St. Louis that season).

He spent the bulk of his playing career with the Colorado Rockies, where he went 23-13 with a 4.42 ERA in 263 games.

For his MLB career he went 30-22 with a 4.22 ERA in 437 appearances that included additional stints with Milwaukee and the New York Yankees.