Otto: Cubs coaches deserve just as much love

Congratulations to the Cubs as they have steamrolled the regular season and clinched the National League Central in only 146 games. That's quite an accomplishment for a team that only two years ago finished the regular season 16 games under .500 and 17 games out of first place in the NL Central.

Over these last two years, skipper Joe Maddon has been terrific in leading the charge on the field while Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have provided Maddon a collection of players to work with. Alongside this talented quartet, the big league coaches, minor league coaches, front office personnel, minor league system, and scouts have all made an impact.

Since 2014, the Cubs' roster has been flooded with some good players and some players who have simply gotten better.

So what about the players who have simply gotten better? Coaches play a big part in it, and Maddon's coaching staff is one of the best in the business.

As pitching coach, Chris Bosio has done a fantastic job in developing a pitching staff. Coming into this year, Kyle Hendricks had two nasty pitches, a sinking fastball and a changeup that puts the brakes on halfway to homeplate. However, Hendricks needed more weapons to throw at hitters. Bosio has encouraged him to throw his four-seam fastball, which is different than his sinker, and show hitters his curveball, which he has always had but just wasn't using enough. Hendricks is leading the league in ERA, while Jon Lester is second.

With help from the many who gather information on opposing hitters, Bosio and the strategy coach, Mike Borzello, put together a game plan each game for the starting pitcher and catcher. Some pitchers work really well with a game plan, others don't. A pitcher might be as smart as Albert Einstein while on the mound, but if he can't execute, a game plan is worthless. This Cub staff is loaded with pitchers who can execute and take advantage of a game plan.

Third base coach and infield coach, Gary Jones has helped to develop one of the best defensive infields in the game. Jones' tireless work with infielders on positioning, footwork, turning double plays and overall glovework has been a big plus for the Cubs.

Hitting coach John Mallee has gotten great improvements out of his offense. Assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske and Mallee spend countless hours working with their group of hitters. The Cubs take batting practice on the field probably less than any other team in the league, and most of the hard work goes unnoticed. However, between tee work, soft-toss, flips, and other hitting drills, Mallee and Hinske get their hitters going every day.

I once asked the Cubs hitting coach at the time, Gary Matthews, what he had been working on with Aramis Ramirez when Aramis was in one of his hot streaks. He looked at me funny and said, "Absolutely nothing. I am staying out of his way." Sometimes less is more.

Each Cubs player has had coaches from little league on up who they can point to as having a great impact on their careers, and the big leagues is just the last stop in the chain.

I've always felt the best coaches in the game are the ones who make you feel like Superman: they have high expectations for you to succeed. And it's clear where this Cubs coaching staff has their players pointed.

• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.