The Cubs filled their vacant assistant hitting coach spot Monday morning by officially announcing Johnny Washington as the newest member of David Ross’ staff.

Chris Valaika held the position for the Cubs during the 2021 season.

Washington joins new hitting coach Greg Brown as the Cubs remade that portion of their coaching staff this offseason.

The organization bid farewell to hitting coach Anthony Iapoce shortly after the regular season ended and Valaika left to take the lead hitting coach gig with the Cleveland Guardians.

Washington, 37, spent 2021 serving as the hitting coach for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization. Prior to that, he spent five years in the San Diego Padres organization filling a variety of different roles:

2016 – hitting coach, Double-A San Antonio
2017 – MLB first base coach
2018 – MLB assistant hitting coach
2019 – MLB hitting coach
2020 – director of minor league hitting

Current Cubs bench coach Andy Green was the Padres manager for the three seasons in which Washington served on the big league coaching staff.

Washington also was a minor league coach at several stops in the Dodgers organization before he joined the Padres.

As a player, Washington was drafted in the 27th round by the Texas Rangers in 2003 out of Mount San Jacinto College. He played five years in the Rangers system, topping out at Advanced Class-A and playing mostly second base and shortstop.

He also had a stint in the Independent League, including 6 games with the Joliet Jackhammers in Illinois.