Chicago Cubs: PCA’s “baseball dad” snubs Mets to stay with Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have a lot to do this offseason. Among other things, they need to completely rebuild their starting rotation and find a way to replace their catcher and two starting corner outfielders as they head off into free agency.

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But despite the changes to come, the team will retain its full coaching staff.

Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee was drawing serious interest from the New York Mets, who are looking to find a new head hitting coach. However, Mallee, who’s working his second stint with the Cubs, has now officially opted to remain in Chicago.

Per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers:

“Coaching news: Cubs hitting coach John Mallee has withdrawn from consideration for a job with the Mets, per a source. He’s staying in Chicago.”

The Mallee-PCA bond

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Mallee has a higher profile than any other assistant hitting coach due to his close relationship with Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’s repeatedly sung the praises of the veteran coach.

The two have worked together since Crow-Armstrong first reached Triple-A and Mallee served as the Iowa Cubs’ hitting coach. They bonded immediately and formed a personal/professional relationship beyond that of the typical player-coach connection.

“That’s my baseball dad in a sense, somebody knowing you when it comes to this kind of thing,” Crow-Armstrong told Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune back in September. “I mean, you really need it. We speak the same language. I’m lucky that I don’t have to get to know him again. He knows what he’s getting into when it’s a game like that, and he knows that I always feel like there’s something we’ve got to f****** figure out. We’ve got to do it now, and he’s always down for the challenge.

“There really is no ego with him, and he’s got a lot to give and he loves this s*** so much. And, yeah, we both kind of share the same craziness sometimes when it comes to learning the game and continuously just trying to figure this s*** out.”

A bit of early good news

Mallee is credited with getting the young, fiery competitor to handle his on-field emotions better and get into a more disciplined head space.

“It is a special relationship,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer also told the Chicago Tribune. “He has a way of getting through to Pete from a hitting standpoint. He also has a way of getting through to Pete from an emotional standpoint, and both of those help him immensely.”

Alex Bregman has also given the coach a tip of the cap for help and guidance.

In the big picture, the loss of an assistant hitting coach may seem like something small. In the case of the Cubs, though, it’s a bigger deal because of just how important Mallee is to Crow-Armstrong and his continued development.

So, consider Mallee staying in Chicago as the first bit of good Cubs news in an offseason that needs to be filled with good news.

The post Chicago Cubs: PCA’s “baseball dad” snubs Mets to stay with Cubs appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-john-mallee-hiting-coach-mets-pete-crow-armstrong-2027/