John Mallee earned the distinction of assisting the Chicago Cubs in winning their first World Series triumph in 108 years as the team’s hitting coach in 2016, barely 15 miles from his hometown and old high school, Mount Carmel. However, after three seasons in the post, the Cubs let Mallee go in October 2017, serving as a wake-up call.
Mallee spent the next five years on two major league coaching staffs and welcomed self-reflection. He focused on himself away from the field, quitting drinking and changing his nutrition.
“I grew up a lot and started to Tribunethat this game is bigger than just the game itself,” Mallee, 55, told the Tribune. “There was more outside the game than merely the life.
