Frank Robinson has decided not to join new manager Don Baylor's Chicago
Cubs coaching staff.
Robinson, 64, would have joined Billy Williams as the second Hall of Fame player on the staff. Williams, who will handle first base and outfield defense duties next season, is Baylor's only coach named so far.
Robinson, once an Orioles teammate of the new Cubs manager, had been offered a two-year contract to serve as Baylor's bench coach. The Cubs said Robinson rejected the offer in part because of concerns over the travel involved.
"It's disappointing," general manager Ed Lynch said. "But I have respect for a guy who's willing to put his family first. He would have been a great addition for us."
Robinson, who played with the Orioles from 1966 to 1971 and managed the team from 1988 to 1991, was baseball's first black manager, with the Cleveland Indians in 1975. He is a special assistant to commissioner Bud Selig and director of the Arizona Fall League, a developmental league.
Robinson, fourth in homers in major-league history, won Most Valuable Player awards with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and Orioles in 1966.
Baylor also was an MVP winner, in 1979 with the California Angels.
With Robinson out of the running, the Cubs have expressed interest in Rene Lachemann and Jackie Moore to fill their bench coach opening. They would need permission to talk to Lachemann, who's a member of manager Tony La Russa's staff in St. Louis.
On the player front, the Cubs picked up right-hander Todd Van Poppel.
A highly touted high school pitcher when Oakland took him with the 14th pick in the 1990 amateur draft, Van Poppel, 27, has never enjoyed much success in the majors. He has a career record of 22-37 and a 6.24 earned run average in stints with the A's, Detroit, Texas and Pittsburgh.
Robinson, 64, would have joined Billy Williams as the second Hall of Fame player on the staff. Williams, who will handle first base and outfield defense duties next season, is Baylor's only coach named so far.
Robinson, once an Orioles teammate of the new Cubs manager, had been offered a two-year contract to serve as Baylor's bench coach. The Cubs said Robinson rejected the offer in part because of concerns over the travel involved.
"It's disappointing," general manager Ed Lynch said. "But I have respect for a guy who's willing to put his family first. He would have been a great addition for us."
Robinson, who played with the Orioles from 1966 to 1971 and managed the team from 1988 to 1991, was baseball's first black manager, with the Cleveland Indians in 1975. He is a special assistant to commissioner Bud Selig and director of the Arizona Fall League, a developmental league.
Robinson, fourth in homers in major-league history, won Most Valuable Player awards with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and Orioles in 1966.
Baylor also was an MVP winner, in 1979 with the California Angels.
With Robinson out of the running, the Cubs have expressed interest in Rene Lachemann and Jackie Moore to fill their bench coach opening. They would need permission to talk to Lachemann, who's a member of manager Tony La Russa's staff in St. Louis.
On the player front, the Cubs picked up right-hander Todd Van Poppel.
A highly touted high school pitcher when Oakland took him with the 14th pick in the 1990 amateur draft, Van Poppel, 27, has never enjoyed much success in the majors. He has a career record of 22-37 and a 6.24 earned run average in stints with the A's, Detroit, Texas and Pittsburgh.
