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December 18, 2006 - LOVES PARK, Ill. – A former Rockford RiverHawk is staying in the big leagues.
The Chicago Cubs have retained Jake Ciarrachi in a permanent position of assistant to the director of player development and assistant to the director of scouting. Ciarrachi has been with the Cubs since February, when he was hired for a one-year program in the baseball operations department.
“It’s a dream job, because number one, I’m working on the baseball side,” Ciarrachi said. “Number two, I’m working in my hometown. How often does that happen? Going into my internship, I never said, ‘I’m going to get a full-time job, because that was far-fetched.”
Ciarrachi attended this month’s baseball winter meetings in Orlando with the Cubs brass and helped prepare player information for the Rule 5 draft. The Cubs made news in the draft when they selected Josh Hamilton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 amateur draft. Chicago subsequently traded him to Cincinnati.
“It got me a chance to see how it all happens,” Ciarrachi said. “You hear about the rule 5 draft, but you don’t know how to make it all happen.”
His new role will include a trip to spring training and visits to minor-league affiliates throughout the season to see prospects play.
Ciarrachi, a native of Lombard and a Northern Illinois University graduate, had been with the RiverHawks from the very beginning. He was the first starting second baseman in RiverHawks history. The 2002 season had barely begun with he was sidelined for the rest of the season because of a back injury. He played just five games in 2002 and only one in 2003, when he joined the coaching staff. He had been the infield coach since 2003 and in 2005 became the team’s on-field coordinator. He was the primary coach in charge of daily pregame practice.
“Coming out of Northern, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Ciarrachi said. “I knew I wanted to keep on playing. And after ’02, I wanted to keep on coaching, then I had a desire to work in the front office of a major-league club.”
The RiverHawks are the Western Division champions of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league that will play its 15th season in 2007. Advertising, season-ticket and suite information is available by calling the box office at (815) 885-2255. Fans can also visit the RiverHawks online at www.rockfordriverhawks.com.
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