Anthony Iapoce replaces Chili Davis on Cubs staff

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs have their third hitting coach in as many seasons after the team announced on Monday that it had hired former Rangers hitting coach, Anthony Iapoce.

Iapoce, 45, replaces Chili Davis, who lasted one year on the job after Davis replaced John Mallee. Iapoce is a Mallee disciple, having worked under him at several major league organizations including the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. Mallee recommended Iapoce to oversee the Cubs minor league hitting program, a position he held from 2013-2015 before joining the Rangers.

The Cubs were dissatisfied with their offense last season after seeing a precipitous drop in power and on-base percentage in the second half of the season. Davis had been hired to help the team's situational hitting and to get players to use more of the entire field, and although the Cubs led the National League in opposite-field hits, they scored 61 fewer runs in 2018 than in 2017. It led president Theo Epstein to declare the offense "broke" after the All-Star break.

Davis admitted it was a difficult transition to a team full of established hitters, saying he and the players never completely "meshed."

Mallee brought the phrase "launch angle" to his teachings with the Cubs, and it's assumed Iapoce will pick up on that notion as the team hit 57 more home runs in 2017 than 2018. The Cubs have not announced the status of the rest of their coaching staff for 2019.