Ryne Sandberg, former Cubs second baseman and MLB Hall of Famer, told ESPN 1000 that he is ready to take over for the retiring Lou Piniella next season according to a report from ESPN Chicago.
“[After] four years of managing at the minor league level, I’m ready for a major league job, and I’m ready to win,” Sandberg said. “The reason I went this route was to manage, not to coach.”
Sandberg has been the manager of the Cubs Triple-A affiliate Iowa Cubs for the past four seasons.
“Things have gone very well here in the minor leagues. We have a good minor league system, as we can see with the younger players coming up. I believe I know these players as well as anybody, I’ve been around them, I’ve coached them, they’re moving up the ranks,” Sandberg said. “There are guys here at Triple-A and Double-A knocking on the door to the big leagues. I believe I know the system very well. It’s been a great experience, and I’m ready for that next step.”
While Sandberg seems very confident in his managerial skills, he wouldn’t go as far as to say that he expects the job to be handed to him next season.
“I don’t go that far,” he said. “I understand there’s a process. I wouldn’t say I would expect it, but I sure would like to be considered, and hope that’s the case.”