John Mallee knows a thing or two about what it takes for a coaching staff to help lead a team to a World Series title. He served as the Cubs hitting coach for three years, through the clubs’ 2016 championship.
He’ll be returning to the Cubs’ major-league coaching staff next season, according to a report from The Athletic. Mallee spent last season as the Cubs’ Triple-A Iowa hitting coach. Manager David Ross’ coaching staff is in flux, after parting with bullpen coach Chris Young and catching/game strategy coach Craig Driver. The team won’t announce its full 2024 coaching staff until closer to spring training.
Mallee played a crucial role in helping Cubs position player prospects prepare for the major leagues this past year.
“Conversations with John Mallee down in Triple-A set me on a really good path,” top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong said before his first major-league start in the outfield. “… It’s all just helped me create an approach, something to fall back on, a little default if I’m ever scrambling a little bit.”
Ross, too, had high praise for his former hitting coach.
“There’s a lot that he can bring to the table,” he said in September, “with real credibility of some of the greatest players that have played the game.”
Over the course of a decades-long coaching career, Mallee has also served as a major-league coach for the Marlins, Astros, Phillies and Angels.
Now, some of those prospects that Mallee guided in Triple-A this year – like Miguel Amaya, who proved he was major-league ready ahead of schedule, Crow-Armstrong, who is still looking for his first major-league hit, and Alexander Canario, who provided heroics despite limited playing time – have a chance to make an impact on the major-league roster next year. And Malle will be on hand to help continue their development.
