As Knoxville Smokies players fight for a spot at Wrigley Field, manager Lance Rymel is chasing the same destination.
At 36 years old, Rymel is in his 11th year working in the Cubs' organization, a decade removed from being a prospect in the same Chicago system. Since beginning his managerial career with the Dominican Summer League Cubs in 2017, he has climbed the organizational ladder, arriving with the Double-A Smokies in 2024.
Now in his third season with the Smokies, who returned to Knoxville in 2025, Rymel is looking to lead the club to a title at Covenant Health Park. After losing Game 1 of the Southern League Divisional Series to the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Smokies return home needing wins Sept. 17 and 18 to advance to the championship
round.
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Cubs gave Lance Rymel a second chance. He hasn't looked back.
When a game ends, players exit the Covenant Health Park dugout through a tunnel to the clubhouse. They drop off equipment, pass the laundry facility and make their way down the hallway toward the locker room.
Just beyond the industrial-sized washers, a door on the right opens to Rymel's office. He sits behind a sparse desk with a tablet in front of him, while a whiteboard covered in notes on the wall behind him.
"It's a blessing, man," Rymel told Knox News. "You got players from all over the world trying to be a big league ball player. That was my goal one time as a player. I never got to achieve it. But I hope I can help these guys achieve their goals and change their lives and their family's lives."
After a career at Division II Rogers State University, where he was later inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame, Rymel was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 28th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He spent three seasons playing minor league baseball, reaching as high as Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs.
As a catcher, he played alongside and behind some of the best catchers in baseball, including Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini. Rymel made a professional All-Star team during his time in Single-A and reached three championship series. But he never reached Chicago.
The Cubs released Rymel in January 2015. Three months later, after latching onto a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies, he was released again.
Rymel made the trek back to Oklahoma, trying to figure out what came next. For two weeks, he planned to return to Rogers State as a graduate assistant, uncertain whether his baseball career had truly ended. Then the Cubs called again.
The organization needed a rehab coach on short notice. Alex Suarez from the Cubs' front office and field/catching coordinator Tim Cousins offered Rymel the job, convinced the work ethic he displayed as a player would translate to coaching. Two weeks later, he was driving to Arizona to begin coaching.
"I appreciate all the coaching I got through my playing days," Rymel said. "I had a good run and I just wanted to give it back to the players."
Now in charge of prospects, Rymel wants to develop and win
Rymel is now responsible for shaping the future of the Cubs, managing one of the more complicated jobs in professional sports.
A minor league manager doesn't control the roster. The organization determines which players arrive in Knoxville, which players get promoted and which players are released. Rymel's responsibility is to take whoever is in the clubhouse and help them get better, and he has learned to balance development and winning.
Rymel's career winning percentage sits above .500, and he already has a championship on his résumé, leading the High-A South Bend Cubs to the 2022 Midwest League title in his first season as manager. In three seasons with the Smokies, Rymel has guided the club to first-half and second-half titles and is now chasing the franchise's fifth league championship.
"We don't come here to lose every game," he said.
Rymel can spend upward of 15 hours at the ballpark on game days. Even on Mondays, the one day each week the Smokies have off, he can spend another four hours at the stadium prepping for the next series, answering emails and sitting in meetings. The job requires passion, patience and communication.
"If you're in this for the right reasons," Rymel said, "I think you do a good job."
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Rymel still chasing his own shot at the big leagues: 'I'll be ready'
Rymel also understands the lows that come with the job. After being released twice in a three-month span during his playing career, he now finds himself delivering the same difficult news to players.
Having been on the other side of those conversations, he tries to soften the blow, whether that's offering advice or helping connect a player with another opportunity. The highs, he said, are what make it all worthwhile.
Rymel remembers Christopher Morel as one of the first players he coached in the Dominican Summer League − a 150-pound shortstop whose throws sailed all over the diamond. Years later, Rymel used an off day to travel to Chicago and watch Morel play for the Cubs. During batting practice, Morel greeted his former manager with a hug and signed a jersey that still hangs in Rymel's Oklahoma home.
The same level of excitement came when BJ Murray, who played for Rymel in Knoxville last season, made his Chicago debut this year. When Murray got his first hit, Rymel and the Smokies staff celebrated from afar.
"That's why we do it, honestly," Rymel said. "You feel like, 'Job well done.'"
As he watches players reach the major leagues, Rymel continues to chase the same dream from a few steps farther down the hallway. He doesn't know when his opportunity will come, or what role might take him there. But for now, his focus remains on the Smokies and a postseason run that is still alive.
"As long as I'm here for the players, I'm here for the staff, I'm here for what the Cubs need," he said, "then the rest will take care of itself."
Rymel can't predict when the call will come. What he does know is that nearly every step of his post-playing career has prepared him for a bigger opportunity.
"I don't think I'm far off at all," he said. "When my time comes, I'll be ready."
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
Playoff baseball arrives in Knoxville
The road to a Southern League championship now runs through Covenant Health Park. After dropping Game 1 of the best-of-three Southern League Divisional Series, the Knoxville Smokies return home needing wins in Games 2 and 3 against the Rocket City Trash Pandas to advance to the championship round. Tickets are available at MiLB.com/Knoxville.
- 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17: Game 2 vs. Rocket City, with a rally towel giveaway for fans
- 7 p.m. Sept. 18: Game 3 (if necessary) vs. Rocket City
If the Smokies win both games, they will advance to the Southern League Championship Series, with Game 2 and Game 3 scheduled for Sept. 22-23 at Covenant Health Park.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville Smokies playoff run fuels manager Lance Rymel's big-league dream | Exclusive
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