You have to go back like 10+ hitting coaches and assistant hitting coaches to find him, but John Mallee was, once upon a time, the hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs when they were quite successful. And unlike everyone who followed, Mallee actually lasted three full years, from 2014 to 2017. His departure was always a bit odd, especially given how the Cubs struggled to fill the position with any kind of consistency thereafter.
Then, after stints with the Phillies and Angels, Mallee returned to the Cubs organization last year as the hitting coach for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. I’m not saying he was directly responsible for it, but it was notable how well almost every hitter at Iowa performed this year.
And now, Mallee is even more back:
It sounds like Mallee’s precise role is still TBA, and he’s not necessarily going to be an assistant hitting coach (Dustin Kelly is staying on as the lead hitting coach).
Good to have Mallee’s mind and experience back with the big league Cubs, and hopefully he’ll continue to help young hitters with the Triple-A to MLB transition.
