John Mallee

By Jesse Rogers ESPN Chicago.com

CHICAGO — After hiring his fourth hitting coach since he took charge of the Chicago Cubs, team president Theo Epstein joked last week that the job was like the “Spinal Tap drumming situation,” but said he was hopeful to finally find consistency with former Houston Astros coach John Mallee.

Mallee comes to Chicago with a very good reputation around the league, and while the turnover with the Cubs hasn’t been a good thing, the coaching staff makes a little more sense now than it did a couple of weeks ago.

Former first-base coach Eric Hinske will serve as Mallee’s assistant, while former Cub Doug Dascenzo takes over as baserunning and outfield coach.

“As long as you end up with some consistency entering the next phase, the competitive phase, guys benefit from a few different perspectives and find their way,” Epstein said. “I like where it ended up.”

It makes sense for a true outfielder to teach outfield, and the fact that Dascenzo played at Wrigley Field can’t hurt matters. There will be some nuances he can pass along to the young crop of players coming up. Hinske was learning that job on the fly — and his best attribute as a player was his offense, anyway.

“He’s in a more appropriate role and he’s thrilled about it,” Epstein said of Hinske.

Having just retired after 2013, Hinske connected with the players more easily than former assistant hitting coach Mike Brumley. Hitting coaches need to make that connection, and with Mallee being the newcomer, having a familiar face for the players can’t be a bad thing. But it will be Mallee’s job to help take Chicago’s offense to another level. He did some good things both in Miami and Houston, but neither of those offenses was complete. Now he’ll be asked to finish the job with the Cubs.

“John has a great reputation,” Epstein said. “He’s done the job and done it well.”

Bill Mueller, who resigned last week as hitting coach, was a positive force for the players, and Mallee will need to have the same effect as the team tries to be better at getting on base. It’s a tall task, but at least Mallee is coming on board at the same time the Cubs are promoting their top prospects. He’ll have fresh eyes on all of them — and if all goes well, he’ll be around them for a long time.

“It’s a little different mindset than it has been the last three years,” Epstein said of the urgency to compete.

As for Dascenzo, the Cubs want to get more out of their running game, and he’s expected to address those areas better than Hinske could have.

“He’s very knowledgeable when it comes to teaching outfield defense and baserunning,” Epstein said.

Hitting coaches tend to be a dime a dozen, so the consistency the Cubs have lacked can be as important as who they have in the position. Remember, Mueller quit. The Cubs weren’t looking to replace him, but maybe it was the best thing to happen to the staff. That’s how the Cubs are spinning it.

“I was little worried about how things would fit together,” Epstein said. “But I couldn’t be happier how it worked out.”