John Mallee

by Mark Gonzales

Since taking over as the Cubs’ hitting coach three months ago, John Mallee has gathered data from the analytics department, watched videotape of his new pupils and traveled to Puerto Rico, Arizona and New York to familiarize himself with selected players.

Those developments have helped Mallee build a foundation for what he and the Cubs hope will be a more efficient offense.

“There’s a learning curve with me knowing the players and also knowing what (manager) Joe Maddon wants,” said Mallee, who left the Astros to join the Cubs. “It all comes down to knowing the player.”

Mallee, who takes over for Bill Mueller, will lean on a support staff that includes assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske and first-base coach Brandon Hyde, who worked with Mallee in the Marlins organization. Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Montero and David Ross will also lend their expertise to the younger players.

The latter group could be vital as the Cubs try to cut down on their franchise-record 1,477 strikeouts and improve their .300 on-base percentage.

Much of the attention during the final two months of the regular season was on rookie Javier Baez, who hit nine home runs but struck out 95 times in 213 at-bats. Baez, 22, struck out 21 times in 43 at-bats in December while playing for Santurce in the Puerto Rican League and Mallee acknowledged he “is a work in progress.”

“He knows who I am now,” Mallee said after visiting Baez last month. “He knows what he has to improve on.”

One of the reasons the Cubs quickly sought permission from the Astros to interview Mallee was his work with top-notch prospects — particularly Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton and Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, the 2014 American League batting champion.

Stanton, 25, who signed a record-setting 13-year, $325 million contract in November, and Altuve bought into Mallee’s emphasis on putting batters in a position to handle multiple pitches.

Stanton “wanted to be different at 17,” Mallee said.

While leading the AL with a .341 average and 225 hits, Altuve became less vulnerable to breaking pitches thanks to a mechanical adjustment Mallee suggested that cut his strikeouts down to 53 in 660 at-bats.

Mallee admits there’s a juggling act, particularly with young sluggers, in improving efficiency without sacrificing power. The exception could be if a batter gets to two strikes, but Mallee hopes his pupils will see the benefits of a shortened swing that induces more contact and production.

“If there’s a runner at third and the infield is playing back, it’s OK to hit that grounder if it gets us a run,” Mallee said.

The analytics department’s research should help Mallee’s mission of having batters stick to their strengths, even if it means that a low-ball hitter takes an elevated fastball early in the count.

“You can become selective without losing your aggressiveness and work the count,” Mallee said.

Baez and Jorge Soler, who had an impressive major league debut but was 3-for-28 with eight strikeouts in his final seven games, could improve simply by emulating Rizzo, who raised his batting average 53 points and home run total by nine despite missing 18 games because of a back injury.

“In Houston, a lot of the young guys were facing American League pitchers for the first time (in 2013),” Mallee said. “In the second year they had a better idea of how they were being pitched and how to attack them.

“That’s why it’s important to have a veteran presence with guys like Rizzo, Montero and Ross. They have been through it before and it’s easier to come up with a game plan.”

mgonzales@tribpub.com

Twitter @MDGonzales

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