Mueller resigns/Mallee hired as hitting coach

[ConstableRabbit]

Looks like he's quite the motivator:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/John_Mallee_and_Jose_Altuve_May_2014.jpg/1920px-John_Mallee_and_Jose_Altuve_May_2014.jpg

 

[Rob]

Should we be excited, angry, content with this hire?

 

I'm gonna go with content. The Astros offense isn't anything to write home about, but you can only work with what you're given.

 

Astros wRC+:

 

2012 - 82 (the year before Mallee took over)

2013 - 85

2014 - 96

 

That's not a fair comparison at all for a number of reasons, but I just don't care. FWIW, he seemed to help Carter make a big adjustment that turned him into a 2nd half monster.

[Guest]

Should we be excited, angry, content with this hire?

 

I'm gonna go with content. The Astros offense isn't anything to write home about, but you can only work with what you're given.

 

Astros wRC+:

 

2012 - 82 (the year before Mallee took over)

2013 - 85

2014 - 96

 

That's not a fair comparison at all for a number of reasons, but I just don't care. FWIW, he seemed to help Carter make a big adjustment that turned him into a 2nd half monster.

 

altuve gives him big time credit for adjustments that led to his 2014

[jersey cubs fan]

It's a hitting coach, I really don't think it matters all that much. No way for any of us to judge either way though.

[treebird]

how do you say this guy's name

[SouthSideRyan]

how do you say this guy's name

 

Like Miller

[d_money]

how do you say this guy's name

Just like the drug

[Guest]

how do you say this guy's name

Just like the drug

so MDMA, then?

[sneakypower]

Should we be excited, angry, content with this hire?

 

I'm gonna go with content. The Astros offense isn't anything to write home about, but you can only work with what you're given.

 

Astros wRC+:

 

2012 - 82 (the year before Mallee took over)

2013 - 85

2014 - 96

 

That's not a fair comparison at all for a number of reasons, but I just don't care. FWIW, he seemed to help Carter make a big adjustment that turned him into a 2nd half monster.

 

altuve gives him big time credit for adjustments that led to his 2014

what does JD Martinez say

[Guest]

Should we be excited, angry, content with this hire?

 

I'm gonna go with content. The Astros offense isn't anything to write home about, but you can only work with what you're given.

 

Astros wRC+:

 

2012 - 82 (the year before Mallee took over)

2013 - 85

2014 - 96

 

That's not a fair comparison at all for a number of reasons, but I just don't care. FWIW, he seemed to help Carter make a big adjustment that turned him into a 2nd half monster.

 

altuve gives him big time credit for adjustments that led to his 2014

what does JD Martinez say

 

"I had a .389 BABIP and a 20% HR/FB?"

 

 

(yes i know altuve had a high babip)

[d_money]

how do you say this guy's name

Just like the drug

so MDMA, then?

I'd settle for HGH

[Deeg]

how do you say this guy's name

 

It's pronounced "Throat-Warbler Mangrove".

[Guest]

Jesus Christ, Doug Dascenzo is 50. I hate when I see things that make me feel really old.

[Guest]

Brett with a really good roundup on Mallee: http://www.bleachernation.com/2014/10/16/much-more-on-new-cubs-hitting-coach-john-mallee-including-his-philosophy/

 

I thought this quote from a radio interview was especially interesting given how it relates to overall approach, and the Cubs having a lot of high-K hitters:

 

“Everyone knows, ‘Hey, we got to walk more and we got to strikeout less. So, stop swinging at bad pitches.’ That’s not the answer. They’re not trying to swing at bad pitches. I think getting them to understand that with two strikes the OPS falls off the map …. There is very little damage done with two strikes for most hitters in baseball. So sacrificing power for accuracy and getting them to understand that just by putting the ball in play – when you put the ball in play with two strikes you are going to hit over .300 …. Just understanding that if you put the ball in play, good things are going to happen.”

[Guest]

yeah, changing the approach on 2 strikes in most situations is going to help so much.

 

swing from your heels in favorable counts but there's nothing wrong with selling out for contact when you're down in the count.

[dew1679666265]

yeah, changing the approach on 2 strikes in most situations is going to help so much.

 

swing from your heels in favorable counts but there's nothing wrong with selling out for contact when you're down in the count.

 

Unless it leads to weak grounders most of the time. I'd rather have higher strikeout numbers if it means more solid contact.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I trust those guys to know what they are talking about, but it always sounded kind of hokey to me. Having two completely different swings like that seems like a good way to screw up your timing and miss even more often.

[Guest]

I trust those guys to know what they are talking about, but it always sounded kind of hokey to me. Having two completely different swings like that seems like a good way to screw up your timing and miss even more often.

 

doesn't seem to bother rizzo

 

dude practically has a different swing/approach to every pitcher

[RammyFanny]

I met this guy before at an instructional kind of thing and the only thing I remember is him trying to name drop in a douche way that he was behind the success of Chris Coghlan and Logan Morrison. Mentioned Logan Morrison with a look in his eye like he was talking about Miguel Cabrera.

[Cubbie Swagger]

At first, I read the title as "re-signs". Weird.

[Guest]

BN linked this Rogers piece with Mallee

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/28147/new-hitting-coach-john-mallee-its-all-about-two-strikes

 

So what is Mallee’s philosophy?

 

“Getting a hitter to stay within his strengths until two strikes,” Mallee explained. “You want to get a pitch you can drive and be patient enough to wait for it. Working the count is a by-product of not swinging at a pitch you can’t drive. Even if it’s within the strike zone.”

 

Mallee zeroed in on two-strike hitting, and for good reason. Players batted with two strikes Exactly half the time last season. An OPS (on-base plus slugging) that was .700 overall dropped to .506 with two strikes.

 

“Getting the players to understand that with two strikes, OPS falls off the map,” Malle said. “That’s with everyone in baseball. The odds of hitting a home run and creating this big amount of damage is minimal. The major league batting average is .185 with two strikes, but BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was .305 last year. We know we won’t hit with a ton of power, because we never have with two strikes. And if I do get the ball into play, I have a chance to hit .300.”

 

That’s the crux of his philosophy right there. It may not be unique but how a coach gets through to a player might be.

 

“You have to be a good salesman,” Mallee said.

 

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, BABIP was actually .299 overall in the league last year. It only went down to .296 with two strikes. In other words, if players can make more contact with two strikes, they are just as likely to get on-base as with fewer than two strikes. They simply won’t have as much power so getting them to make contact is the key. Javier Baez is a great example, of course.

 

“If you have the right approach and right mindset, your swing will follow that,” Mallee said of Baez. “Getting him to understand sacrificing speed and power for accuracy when you get to two strikes and there are runners in scoring position and putting the ball in play, you’re going to be very productive.”

 

Mallee was asked what’s the key to selling that notion.

 

“It’s a secret,” he said with a smile.

 

It’s probably different for every player, and Mallee admits Baez’ vicious swing is so unique that it might take a unique approach to finding consistency.

 

“His approach will teach him how to shorten things when it’s needed,” Mallee said. “He’s an exceptional talent, so maybe just convincing him to sacrifice a little power for accuracy with two strikes, that’s when you need to shorten up.”

 

Mallee said that’s exactly what he got Alltuve to understand, and his batting average went from .283 to .341 in one season. He’s hopeful he can have the same influence on some Cubs players. It doesn’t hurt that the Chicagoan is more than familiar with Wrigley Field. Power isn’t always going to play.

 

“The game is starting to come back to reality a little bit,” Mallee stated. “Players have to understand in April and May in Chicago, we need to bring out the line drives.”

 

 

I don't totally buy the suggestion that a shortened up approach would yield the same BABIP (but then again, who the hell knows with batted ball types and I guess it depends on just how much selling out is being done), but I don't think it's a bad approach and it's nice to have coaches that think/speak in these terms.

[jersey cubs fan]

BN linked this Rogers piece with Mallee

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/28147/new-hitting-coach-john-mallee-its-all-about-two-strikes

 

 

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, BABIP was actually .299 overall in the league last year. It only went down to .296 with two strikes. In other words, if players can make more contact with two strikes, they are just as likely to get on-base as with fewer than two strikes.

 

 

NOPE

[Guest]

BN linked this Rogers piece with Mallee

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/28147/new-hitting-coach-john-mallee-its-all-about-two-strikes

 

 

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, BABIP was actually .299 overall in the league last year. It only went down to .296 with two strikes. In other words, if players can make more contact with two strikes, they are just as likely to get on-base as with fewer than two strikes.

 

 

NOPE

 

Yeah, just gotta ignore anything even slightly hinting at being analytical coming from the actual writer when it comes to those dudes.

 

The funny thing is, even if he had said "get hits" instead of get on base, he still would've been wrong. And even if he had said "almost" instead of "just" he still would've been extremely wrong.