The Mets’ search for a new voice in the hitting department has reached Chicago, with Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee emerging as an interview candidate for the opening created by Jeff Albert’s departure.
Mallee brings a recent MVP résumé
Mallee, 57, has spent more than a decade working with big league offenses and arrives with a particularly timely connection: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s rise from a struggling young hitter into one of the National League’s most feared bats.
After earlier stops as the lead hitting coach with Houston from 2013-14, the Cubs from 2015-17 and Philadelphia from 2018-19, Mallee worked in Anaheim before returning to the Cubs’ staff. In Chicago, he has served as an assistant to hitting coach Dustin Kelly.
Crow-Armstrong was below league average at the plate during Mallee’s first season back with the Cubs in 2024. The outfielder became an All-Star in 2025, then made an even bigger leap in 2026, putting himself in line for National League MVP honors.
- Crow-Armstrong led the National League with 45 home runs.
- He also topped the league in runs scored with 119.
- His .570 slugging percentage and .942 OPS were both NL bests.
- The Cubs led all of Major League Baseball in runs, scoring 850.
- Chicago also paced the majors with a .428 slugging percentage and a .767 OPS.
New York weighs its structure
The Mets finished tied for 20th in the majors with 699 runs, a result that prompted the club to dismiss Albert after the season. Hitting coach Troy Snitker remains on staff, as does assistant Rafael Fernandez.
That leaves New York considering more than a single name. The club initially had not settled on whether Albert’s replacement would be hired as a hitting director above Snitker or as another assistant working beneath him. Mallee is among the candidates being considered as the Mets determine how the department will be arranged.
The coaching adjustments come under manager Andy Green, who had the interim label removed in September after agreeing to a three-year contract. The Mets have also moved on from quality assurance coach Danny Barnes and batting-practice pitcher Kevin Mahoney.
Kevin Long remains another familiar option
Kevin Long, 59, is also in the candidate pool, bringing both Mets history and a lengthy track record with prominent hitters. He was New York’s hitting coach from 2015 through 2017, years in which the club made the postseason twice despite finishing 20th in the majors in runs per game over that three-season stretch.
Long has often been associated with an approach that encourages hitters to pull the ball with loft. He received major recognition for Daniel Murphy’s surge during the Mets’ 2015 postseason run.
- After leaving the Mets, Long spent four seasons with Washington and built a working relationship with Juan Soto.
- He later joined Philadelphia, where he helped Kyle Schwarber produce a late-career offensive breakthrough.
- The Phillies dismissed Long earlier this month despite two years remaining on his contract.
For the Mets, the decision is less about a wholesale coaching overhaul than finding the right fit beside Snitker and Fernandez. Mallee offers a connection to the game’s latest breakout MVP candidate; Long offers familiarity in Queens and a history of helping star hitters sharpen their damage in the air.
