The Chicago Cubs have hired Anthony Iapoce as its major league hitting coach, replacing the fired Chili Davis.

Iapoce was the major league hitting coach for the Texas Rangers the last three seasons. He spent the previous three years in the Cubs organization and the team said he is familiar with many members of the big league club.

During Iapoce's three years in Texas, the Rangers ranked fifth in the American League in runs and fourth in home runs. The 2017 Rangers were the first MLB team with nine players to reach at least 17 homers in the same season.

Chicago won 95 games in a franchise-record fourth straight playoff season, but its offense was inconsistent. The Cubs finished fourth in the National League in scoring but managed one run or zero in 39 regular-season games. They scored just two runs over 22 innings in losing the NL Central tiebreaker game against Milwaukee and the NL wild-card game to Colorado.