Michael Ausley Maddux (born August 27, 1961) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He is the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He played in MLB for nine teams, over 15 seasons, and coached for four teams following his playing career. Maddux played in MLB from through for the Philadelphia Phillies,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, Pittsburgh Pirates,

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, and Houston Astros. Except for the Phillies, for whom he played during the first four seasons of his career, he never played more than two seasons for any team. Maddux has served as pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers,

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

, and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. Teams that hired him subsequently allowed fewer runs to score. While coaching for the Rangers, the pitching staff posted season

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

s (ERA) lower than 4.00 for the first time since , doing so for four consecutive seasons. The Nationals hired him after the season, and the Cardinals hired him after the season. He is the older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.

Early life

Maddux was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, in 1961 to Dave and Linda Maddux. His father, Dave, served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

. The family moved to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

when Mike was a

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 12 to 36 months old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "to toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, like a child ...

, and also spent time living in

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert to the southwest, Osage Plai ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and eventually

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. Mike's younger brother,

Greg Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name *Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canadi ...

, was born in San Angelo in 1966. Beginning at the age of ten, Maddux received instruction in pitching from former

scout Ralph Meder.

Playing career

Maddux attended

Rancho High School Rancho High School is a zoned, and magnet high school in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Clark County School District. Opened in 1953, Rancho High School was the third public high school founded in the Las Vegas Valley, after Las Vegas ...

in Las Vegas. The Cincinnati Reds selected him in the 36th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign with the Reds. He enrolled at the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

(UTEP), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

UTEP Miners The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). They are informally referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas–El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, ...

. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the fifth round of the

1982 MLB draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft. Compensation Picks Other notable players * David Wells†, 2nd round, 30th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays * Allan Anderson, 2nd ro ...

. He began the 1986 season with the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League, and was promoted to the major leagues on May 30. He had a 7.84

(ERA) in five starts and was demoted to Portland on July 4. After pitching to a 2.09 ERA in five starts, the Phillies recalled him on August 1. On September 29, he started a game against his brother Greg, who was also a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

, pitching for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs defeated the Phillies. After the 1989 season, the Phillies released Maddux, and he signed with the

. Granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

after the 1990 season, he contacted each team in seeking a tryout, which resulted in the

signing him. Maddux won a spot with the Padres as a relief pitcher. After the 1992 season, the Padres traded Maddux to the

for Roger Mason and Mike Freitas. He signed a two-year contract with the Mets, worth $2.375 million. Granted free agency after the 1994 season, Maddux signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates released him on May 16. He signed with the

on May 30, and then re-signed with the Red Sox as a free agent that offseason. The Red Sox released Maddux before the 1997 season, and he signed with the

, who released him on July 23. The Padres signed him on August 19, but he did not pitch in the majors for the Padres that year. A free agent again, Maddux signed with the

, who released him on April 15, 1999. On April 24, he signed with the Dodgers. He signed with the Houston Astros for the 2000 season, but pitched to a 6.26 ERA and was released on July 5. During a 15-year baseball career, Maddux compiled 39 wins, 564 strikeouts, and a 4.05 ERA.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

After he retired as a player, Maddux became a pitching coach in Minor League Baseball for the Houston Astros organization, first with the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. Beginning in 2003, Maddux spent six seasons as the pitching coach for the major league Milwaukee Brewers. During this time, the Brewers yielded an average of 77 fewer runs per season than they had in the previous seven. Pitcher

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milwauk ...

had his lone sub-3.00-ERA half-season in Milwaukee.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers hired Maddux as their pitching coach before the 2009 season. In an early conversation, then-president and former Rangers pitcher

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

said he wanted to change the culture and perception that pitching for the Rangers was extremely difficult. "Do it, or else" was the challenge he gave Maddux. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, the Rangers' pitching staff produced a 5.37 ERA, the worst in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL), and from

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

–08, also produced an AL-worst 5.14 ERA. The Rangers had not completed a season with a team ERA below 4.00 since 1990, and in 15 seasons playing at

Globe Life Park in Arlington Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Tex ...

, their ERA was 5.04. In the previous 11 seasons before his arrival, they had given up 888 runs a season. After his first season as pitching coach with Texas, the club's ERA dropped nearly one full run (0.99). In 2011, when the Rangers went to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

for the second consecutive season, they lacked star pitching. The rotation was composed primarily of

C. J. Wilson Christopher John Wilson (born November 18, 1980) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional baseball pitcher. Wilson pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2011 and the Los Angeles Angel ...

, with a 6.02 ERA when Maddux arrived; Colby Lewis, who had just pitched in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

in Japan; Scott Feldman, and

Tommy Hunter Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman". Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, '' Country Hoedown''. ''T ...

. During Maddux's time with the Rangers, the club won 612 games, third-most in the AL, and achieved a collective ERA of 4.04, including four consecutive seasons below 4.00. From 2010– 13, their ERA was 3.83, third-lowest in the AL. They trimmed the average number of runs allowed in his six years to 707. Five pitchers became All-Stars in Maddux's tenure:

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

Neftalí Feliz Neftalí Feliz Antonio (; born May 2, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh ...

, Matt Harrison,

Alexi Ogando Alexi Ogando Acosta (born October 5, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians. He was an MLB All ...

, and Wilson. The Rangers reached the postseason four times and won two AL pennants. During the 2011 offseason, the Cubs fired

Mike Quade Gregory Michael Quade (pronounced: KWAH-dee) (born March 12, 1957) is an American professional baseball coach and manager. The manager of the Rochester Red Wings, Triple-A farm system affiliate of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball fro ...

as their manager and considered Maddux as a potential replacement. He was also considered for the Red Sox managerial position, but he withdrew himself from consideration. In 2014, he was a candidate to manage the Astros after they fired

Bo Porter Marquis Donnell "Bo" Porter (born July 5, 1972) is a former MLB player. He is also a coach who was most recently a special assistant to the Braves GM and former third base/outfield and base running coach for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Ba ...

. When Jeff Banister became the Rangers'

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

during the 2014–15 offseason, Maddux agreed to stay with the Rangers for one more season. His contract with the Rangers expired after the 2015 season and they discussed a new contract. Maddux explored options with other teams while the Rangers considered hiring a successor. The Rangers decided to hire a candidate from their interviews rather than making Maddux a formal offer.

Washington Nationals

The

signed Maddux with a two-year contract to become their pitching coach on November 4, 2015. On October 20, 2017, his contract was not renewed.

St. Louis Cardinals

On October 26, 2017, the

hired Maddux as their pitching coach. Maddux left the Cardinals after the 2022 season.

Texas Rangers (second stint)

On November 23, 2022, Maddux was named the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers in his 2nd stint with the ballclub.

Personal life

Maddux and his wife have two daughters. They own a house in

Tarrant County, Texas Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of ...

References

External links

Mike Maddux
at Astros Daily
Mike Maddux
at Ultimate Mets Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Maddux, Mike 1961 births Living people Albuquerque Dukes players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Ohio Bend Phillies players Boston Red Sox players Houston Astros players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Los Angeles Dodgers players Maine Guides players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Milwaukee Brewers coaches Montreal Expos players New York Mets players Pawtucket Red Sox players Peninsula Pilots players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Reading Phillies players San Bernardino Stampede players San Diego Padres players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Seattle Mariners players Spartanburg Spinners players St. Louis Cardinals coaches Tacoma Rainiers players Texas Rangers coaches UTEP Miners baseball players Washington Nationals coaches Baseball players from Dayton, Ohio