Last year, Tom Beyers managed the Boise Hawks, the Cubs' short-season A club, to the Northwest League championship.  He was named manager of the year.  It was earlier announced that Beyers would manage the Hawks again this year.  Instead, Beyers has stepped aside to become the hitting coach in favor of Trey Forkerway, who last year managed Mesa, the Cubs' rookie ball club.  Forkerway spent five years as a player in the Cubs system, getting as high as Double-A.

Explained Oneri Fleita, the Cubs' Director of Player Development, in a press release, "Tom's an organizational guy. He'll do whatever we need to do. . . . And it was only right that Trey got a chance to move up."

Beyers appears to be exactly what Fleita says he is -- an organizational guy.  Beyers is quoted in the press release as saying, "I like working with the players that come out of the draft, the young Latin players and our extended spring guys. Whether it's managing or being a hitting coach, I'm doing something I enjoy. Trey is a real up and coming manager. He's got a lot of energy and he deserves a chance at this level. By me wanting to stay in Boise, I don't ever want to get in the way of a guy that wants to move on as a manager."