Maddon talks Mallee and the state of hitting today
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon gave two Philadelphia writers an appetizer when they asked about hitting coach John Mallee, who was fired Tuesday by the Phillies less than two seasons after the Cubs released him.
“Every hitting coach I’ve known in the recent past was dedicated, hard-working, cares about his players more than he cares about himself,” Maddon, the Hazleton native and Lafayette College product, said. “A lot of times you have a good sense of humor, which I think is important.
“I love John Mallee, and I think he’s an outstanding hitting coach. That’s all.”
Despite Mallee’s popularity with Cubs hitters and the fact the team won the 2016 World Series in his second season, he was dismissed after the 2017 season.
The Cubs dumped Mallee, a proponent of launch angle, and hired Chili Davis to emphasize situational hitting. According to multiple sources, several players immediately tuned out Davis and opted for their personal approach, going that route even as the offense deteriorated in the second half.
Hitting is personal to Maddon, a former minor-league hitting instructor who has been more hands-on this season at the request of his bosses. So when a Philadelphia reporter asked whether there are now too many hitting philosophies, resulting in confused batters, Maddon provided plenty to chew on.
“Just go to Twitter and search ‘hitting guru,’ ” Maddon said. “And find out all these different people making money these days. They’re making it too complicated, and it’s really sad.
“I grew up as a hitting coach, and I taught hitting a certain way. And I still think it’s germane to the way you should hit today.
“It’s really being morphed into an area that’s non-sustainable. There are too many holes in the methods that are being profligated right now. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Maddon endorsed first-year Cubs hitting coach Anthony Iapoce and assistant Terrmel Sledge but expressed displeasure at some of the trends being taught elsewhere at a price.
“I’ve seen some of the videos that they’re selling online, that parents are paying for,” Maddon said. “Wow. They’re just promoting the strikeout. That’s all they’re doing.”
The Cubs entered play Tuesday night with 186 home runs — within reach of their franchiserecord 235 homers in 2014. But Maddon had an interesting prediction in the midst of this homer-crazed season.
“Once the ball is deadened again, you’re going to see a dramatic decline in home runs,” Maddon said. “Just based on equipment change. And what you’re seeing right now is very hard for hitters.”
Maddon said he is baffled when he sees batters who have only twice as many RBIs as homers.
“All that [tells] me is that they don’t know how to drive in runs with a single,” Maddon said. “It’s an all-or-nothing approach. And that’s being advocated.”
That all-or-nothing approach has major-league hitters on pace to shatter the single-season home run record while setting a strikeouts record for the 12th straight year.