Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs shocked the baseball world when they signed the controversial slugger Manny Ramirez. He signed to be a player-coach, playing a little bit and tutoring a lot.

Ramirez hit .312 and hammered 555 home runs in 19 seasons in the major leagues, so he knows hitting. He has shared his wisdom with highly touted prospects like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler.

Ramirez has done a fine job at Iowa. Before he arrived, Baez was struggling mightily at Iowa. With some fine tuning, he started hitting again, and now is on the major league club. He has helped Soler deal with his injuries and showed him what to do to stay healthy. Bryant has been learning the intricacies of being the top slugger and probably how to avoid the mistakes Ramirez has made.

His time with the Cubs, however, has come to an end. He was placed on the disabled list on August 23, and with the Iowa season ending, so is his presence.

Speaking to reporters before Friday’s game, I-Cubs manager Marty Pevey spoke about having Ramirez on the team. “He’s been awesome,” Pevey said. “Done a great job. Been great in the clubhouse and he’s been such a good teammate.”

Ramirez appeared in 24 games with Iowa, hitting .222 and hitting three homers. He has been a fan favorite at games.

Pevey says Ramirez has plans to play winter ball, but beyond that he doesn’t know. He adds that he probably won’t play triple-A again because the “travel has just killed him.”

Good bye to Manny Ramirez, and thank you for helping the Cubs’ future stars.