John Mallee leaves Astros to become Cubs' hitting coach

John Mallee is leaving the Houston Astros to become the new hitting coach of the Chicago Cubs, the team announced Thursday.

Mallee, a Chicago native, spent the past two seasons in Houston grooming up-and-coming talent like Jose Altuve and George Springer. Altuve, this year's American League batting champion, believes Mallee's expertise was a big part of his achievement. 

Mallee will take on a similar role in Chicago, which is loaded with top-end offensive prospects like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler.

"I grew up a Cub fan and always dreamed of standing on the field and representing this amazing franchise," Mallee told Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart. 

Mallee also served as the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins in 2010 and 2011.