John Mallee

By John Burbridge Posted October 11, 2014

John Mallee was there when it happened, when a National League pennant was decided at Wrigley Field.

“They gave us tickets to the game,” said Mallee, who watched the Florida Marlins come back from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the 2003 World Series — which they ended up winning — while adding yet another disturbing chapter in the Cubs’ legacy.

Not only did the Marlins give Mallee postseason tickets, they gave him a World Series ring, which is about a big as a piston head. At the time, he was the hitting coordinator in the Marlins’ minor league system and Mallee had worked with many of the players who were responsible for perhaps the greatest of all Cubs heartbreaks.

On Thursday, Mallee was hired as the Cubs’ new hitting coach. So maybe all is forgiven.

“I grew up a Cubs fans and I’ve always dreamed of one day wearing a Cubs uniform on a major league field,” said Mallee, a Chicago native and Schererville resident who served as the Astros hitting coach for the last two seasons.

“My family and I are excited as I’m just getting ready to have dinner with them right now,” said Mallee, who replaces former Bill Mueller, who also played for the Cubs. “We still live (in Schererville), so it’s going to be nice to be closer to them during the season.”

A Mount Carmel graduate, Mallee was a middle infielder in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in the early 1990s. He later served as the Marlins minor league hitting coordinator for eight years.

After a coaching shakeup within the major league team early in the 2010 season, Mallee was promoted to serve as the Marlins’ hitting coach. The following season, Mallee was replaced by Hall of Famer Tony Perez, who had briefly managed the Marlins in 2001.

Though Mallee took advantage of the setback to spend more with his two young sons that summer, it wasn’t long before he was working in baseball again, taking a job as a senior adviser for the Toronto Blue Jays.

He eventually was hired by Houston in 2013. Last season, Houston finished last in the American League with a .242 average but was third in homers with 163.

“I’m excited but sad,” said Mallee,”They have some amazing talent in Houston and leaving was one of the toughest decisions in my life. I could only wish them and the entire organization the best of luck.

“But there’s also some amazing talent with the Cubs, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Though Mallee will have an opportunity to fine-tune some of the most highly touted prospects in baseball, there remains much room for improvement. Last season, the Cubs posted an abysmal .300 on-base percentage and struck out a major league-leading 1,477 times.

When taking the job with the Astros two years ago, Mallee almost moved his family to the Houston area.

“But I wanted my oldest son (Johnny) to experience at least one year at Mount Carmel,” Mallee said. Johnny is now a sophomore at the Chicago Catholic school. “Me going there made such a difference in my life, so I wanted him to experience that for himself.

“Now I’m glad that we didn’t move.”

Not only does Mallee have experience working with minor and major league players, he also has been a longtime instructor and coach for youth and high school players in the region.