Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Moder ...
manager and coach. He has managed the
Tampa Bay Rays,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
, and
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB).
After playing and coaching in the
minor leagues, Maddon began his MLB coaching career with the Angels in 1994 and served under managers
Buck Rodgers,
Marcel Lachemann,
John McNamara,
Terry Collins, and
Mike Scioscia. He served two stints as interim manager during this time. He managed the Rays from 2006 through 2014, winning the
2008 American League pennant.
After opting out of his contract following the 2014 season, Maddon joined the Cubs. He led them to the
2015 National League Championship Series and was named the 2015
National League Manager of the Year. In 2016, Maddon managed the Cubs to their first
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
title since 1908. He managed the Cubs through 2019 and managed the Angels from 2020 to 2022.
Early life and career
The son of an Italian father, Joseph Anthony Maddon (who shortened the family name from Maddonini), and a Polish mother, Albina Klocek, Maddon grew up in an apartment over his father's plumbing shop. His father died in 2002.
Maddon attended
Lafayette College, where he played baseball and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
. He is a member of
Zeta Psi fraternity. He received an
Honorary Doctor of Letters from Lafayette College on September 2, 2010.
Maddon began his professional career playing in
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
as a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
, signing with the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
organization as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...
in 1975.
Maddon never advanced higher than
Class A, in which he played for four seasons. He began his career for the
Quad Cities Angels in 1976, hitting .294 in 50 games and 163 at bats. He followed up with two seasons for the
Salinas Angels and a final season with the
Santa Clara Padres. In his four seasons, he never had more than 180
at bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...
s in a season, and the most home runs he ever hit was three for the
Salinas Angels in 1977. Overall, he hit .267 with 5 home runs in 514 at bats.
Coaching/managerial career
California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1975–2005)
In 1979, after spending four seasons trying to make it as a catcher in the Angels organization, Maddon decided to give up his playing career and become a coach. He started as a scout and would continue on to such positions as manager in the Angels farm system and Minor League roving hitting instructor.
As a minor league manager, he had a record in six seasons.
He managed in the minors from 1981 to 1986, each team having a losing record. His stops included managing the
Idaho Falls Angels of the
Rookie League (1981), the
Class A Salem Angels (1982–1983), Class A
Peoria Chiefs (1984), and the
Class AA Midland Angels (1985–1986). After serving as Minor League roving instructor from 1987 to 1993, Maddon was promoted to the big league club as a coach.
Maddon served as a major league coach for the Angels from 1994 to 2005. He held such positions as first base coach, bench coach, and interim manager on three occasions following the hospitalization of
John McNamara in 1996, the suspension of
Terry Collins in 1998, and Collins' eventual departure in 1999. He finished with a combined record of 27 wins and 24 losses as interim manager.
He also served under
Marcel Lachemann from 1993 to 1994. While he served as bench coach under McNamara and Collins, he rotated positions often. He finally found stability when the Angels hired
Mike Scioscia in 1999. He served as Scioscia's bench coach from 2000 to 2005, winning a
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
ring in 2002. By the time Maddon left Anaheim, he had spent 31 years overall with the Angels organization.
Maddon was considered a candidate for the
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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
manager job in 2004, which went to
Terry Francona.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2006–2014)
2006–2007
On November 15, 2005, Maddon was hired to manage the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Rays went in Maddon's first two seasons.
The Rays were in yet another re-building phase, this time under the management of General Manager
Andrew Friedman. Tampa Bay held the lowest payroll in baseball at $44 million. They had yet to have a winning season but were hopeful due to the development of young homegrown stars
David Price,
Evan Longoria,
James Shields and
B. J. Upton. Unlike his predecessor,
Lou Piniella, Maddon preached patience in developing a young core of players while enduring back to back 90+ game losing seasons.
2008 season
In 2008, Maddon guided the newly renamed Rays to the first winning season and division title in franchise history. He led a team of young players that won the American League East over the heavily favored
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
and
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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. Maddon's team recorded the franchise's first playoff series victory in the
2008 American League Division Series (ALDS) vs. the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
by 3–1 and a 4-games-to-3 triumph over the rival Red Sox in the
2008 American League Championship Series (ALCS). This was the first
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
appearance for the Rays, in which Tampa Bay held home-field advantage against the
Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies won the World Series in five games. Maddon won the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
Manager of the Year Award. He also received the
Chuck Tanner Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award.
2009 season
On May 25, 2009, the Tampa Bay Rays and Maddon agreed to a contract extension that would keep him manager of the Rays through 2012. He had been in the final year of his initial contract with the team. The Rays stated that there was "never a question" on whether to keep Maddon after the conclusion of the 2009 season.
On July 14, 2009, Maddon managed the American League All Star team to a 4–3 victory. Controversy accompanied his failure to pick second baseman
Ian Kinsler as a reserve, despite Kinsler having narrowly come in second in the fan voting, the player voting, and the "Sprint Final Vote" competition. To replace fellow second baseman
Dustin Pedroia, Maddon instead chose Tampa Bay's first baseman
Carlos Peña.
[ ] Similarly, to replace Longoria, Maddon chose
Chone Figgins of the Angels.
2010 season
When MLB ordered in April 2010 that managers and coaches wear the official team jacket or approved Majestic pullover over their jersey, and not "
hoodie
A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that, when worn up, covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face.
The most common 'pullover' style hoodies often include a single large knife pocket or muff on the lower front, whil ...
s", Maddon complained that "it's almost like a security blanket for me. Managing without a hoodie on a cool night could be very disconcerting. Furthermore, I think it's wrong." MLB reversed their decision a few days later.
On September 28, 2010, the Rays clinched their second playoff berth in team history. This was their second playoff appearance in three years. They finished the year at 96–66. The Rays won their second AL East championship, but lost to the
Texas Rangers 3–2 in the
2010 ALDS.
2011–2013
In 2011, the Rays made a second consecutive playoff appearance, clinching the American League Wild Card on the final day of the season, despite an 0–6 start to the season and a nine-game deficit in the wild card race in September. The Rays lost in the
2011 ALDS to the Rangers 3 games to 1. After the end of the season Maddon was named the AL
Manager of the Year for the second time in his career. On February 13, 2012, the Rays signed Maddon to a three-year extension.
On April 16, 2012, in a game against the
Red Sox, Maddon won his 500th career game as manager. The Rays finished the season at 90–72, good for third place in the AL East and third in the AL Wild Card.
Maddon earned his 600th win on May 8, 2013, with a victory over the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
. Maddon earned his 700th win on May 25, 2014, with a victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Rays finished the season with a 92–71 record, clinching the American League Wild Card. They lost the
2013 ALDS to the Boston Red Sox, 3-games-to-1.
2014 season
The Rays finished with their worst record in seven years, at 77–85.
They lost
Matt Moore to
Tommy John surgery and dealt with constant trade rumors regarding such stars as
David Price and
Ben Zobrist. Price would end up being traded to the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, while Zobrist finished the season in St. Petersburg. The Rays dealt with a flurry of injuries, and never recovered. They were eliminated from postseason contention on September 19.
On October 14, 2014, Rays' General Manager
Andrew Friedman left Tampa Bay to assume the role of President of Baseball Operations for the
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. Friedman's departure activated an opt-out clause in Maddon's contract, allowing Maddon to do so within two weeks of Friedman's resignation. The Rays tried "aggressively" to re-sign Maddon, during that period, but Maddon opted out of his contract. Maddon finished his tenure with a record of 754 wins and 705 losses.
Exit from Tampa Bay
Almost immediately after news broke of Maddon's departure from St. Petersburg, rumors started linking him to the Cubs' managerial position; which, at the time was held by
Rick Renteria. Cubs management had promised Renteria he would indeed be returning to manage the club in 2015 following the completion of the 2014 season. On November 2, 2014, the Cubs announced that they had fired Renteria and hired Maddon. Maddon's contract was for five years and $25 million. Renteria was offered a variety of other positions with the Cubs, which he declined. After being fired by the Cubs, Renteria signed on as the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
bench coach for the 2016 season, and became the team manager in 2017.
The Rays filed tampering charges with MLB, claiming that the only reason Maddon opted out in Tampa Bay was due to his becoming aware that the Cubs would offer him a deal that would make him the highest paid manager in the game. Cubs President
Theo Epstein claimed that he had sent an email to MLB to be certain that Maddon was indeed a free agent before contacting him about their managerial position. On April 29, 2015, MLB cleared the Cubs of any tampering charges.
Chicago Cubs (2015–2019)
Maddon managed the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
from 2015 to 2019, breaking the Cubs' 108-year World Series Championship drought in his second year with a 4–3 series win over the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
. His .581 winning percentage is the most for a Cubs manager since
Frank Chance, and his 19 playoff victories as manager are a team record, as are the team's four consecutive playoff berths from 2015 to 2018. Following the Cubs quick exit from the 2018 playoffs, the Cubs opted not to give Maddon an extension on his five-year contract, which the team allowed to expire after Chicago failed to make the playoffs the following year.
2015–2016

On May 14, 2015, Maddon logged his 800th managerial win in a 6–5 home victory over the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
, placing him eighth among active managers. In June, on a road trip to play the Mets, Maddon brought in a magician to perform in the Cubs clubhouse. The Cubs had lost five straight games and it was something Maddon had done before with the Rays. At the conclusion of the first half of the season, the Cubs held a record of 47–40, good for third place in the highly contested
National League Central
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National Le ...
division. The Cubs had finished in last place for three consecutive seasons.
After coming out sluggishly after the All Star Break,
Cole Hamels of the
Philadelphia Phillies no-hit the Cubs at
Wrigley Field on July 25. Following a sweep by the Phillies, the team with the worst record in baseball, the Cubs went on a nine-game winning streak, and at the time held the best road record in the Majors. The Cubs continued their hot streak throughout the second half of the season, which included a no-hitter by
Jake Arrieta on August 30 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. On September 26, following a
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
loss to the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
, the Cubs clinched their first postseason berth since
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. They finished the season with 97 wins, an improvement of 24 over
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and their first 97-win season since 2008.
In the
National League Wild Card Game, the Cubs defeated the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
by a score of 4–0 at
PNC Park on a
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
shutout
In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...
from Arrieta, advancing to the
National League Division Series (NLDS) to face the
St. Louis Cardinals. The win marked the Cubs' first postseason victory since Game 4 of the
2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS). After losing game 1 in St. Louis, the Cubs went on to win three straight, winning the NLDS at Wrigley Field. This was the Cubs' first ever postseason clinch at Wrigley Field. The Cubs played the Mets in the
NLCS
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Major League Baseball po ...
, but lost in four games. After the season, Maddon won the National League Manager of the Year Award.
Maddon's young
Cubs team entered the 2016 season as the bookmakers' favorite to win the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
. They started the season on a tear, taking over first place in the
NL Central on April 11, a lead they never relinquished. By May 10, the Cubs had a record of 25–6 (0.806 win percentage) with a commanding 8.5 game lead in their division. The team would go on to post a 103–58 regular season record, their first 100-win season in over 80 years, and led their division by as many as 19 games. They entered the postseason as heavy favorites, and dispatched the
Giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
* Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...
in four games with an amazing four-run 9th inning comeback in the clincher at
AT&T Park. On October 22, 2016, the Cubs beat the
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in Game 6 of the
NLCS
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Major League Baseball po ...
, earning their first pennant since
1945, also allowing Maddon to join the small list of managers who won pennants in both leagues. Their streak of not winning a pennant was the longest in MLB history, lasting 71 years. They beat the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
in Game 7 of the World Series, for their first World Series title in 108 years.
2017–2018
On May 16, 2017, Maddon won his 1,000th game as manager in a 9–5 victory over the
Cincinnati Reds. Despite falling behind 4.5 games to the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
and posting a losing record at the All-Star Break, the Cubs rallied to repeat as NL Central Division Champions and finish with a 92–70 record. Chicago defeated the
Nationals three games to two in the
NLDS, marking the Cubs' fourth straight postseason series victory. However, Chicago could not clinch a second straight NL pennant, falling 4–1 in the
NLCS
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Major League Baseball po ...
to the
Dodgers. In 2017 the
National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame awarded its NPASHF Excellence in Sports Award to Joe Maddon.
Maddon's 2018 team saw several key departures from both the player roster and the coaching staff, including 2015
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered t ...
Winner
Jake Arrieta, right-handed starter
John Lackey, 2017 closer
Wade Davis, former closer
Hector Rondon, bench coach
Dave Martinez, pitching coach
Chris Bosio and hitting coach
John Mallee. The Cubs made several free-agency acquisitions to bolster their pitching staff, including former Dodgers
Yu Darvish and
Brandon Morrow.
While the Cubs finished with three more wins than their division-winning 2017 record, Chicago's 95 wins were unable to secure a third straight division championship. While the Cubs entered September with a 5-game lead over Milwaukee, the Brewers won four of their final six games against Chicago and completed their season with a seven-game winning streak to force a game 163. Chicago lost both
the tiebreaker and the
subsequent Wild Card game at home, the latter of which came against
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
in 13 innings
2019 season and departure
The Cubs opted not to extend Maddon's contract during the 2018 offseason.
Epstein told the press that the club would not enter into talks with Maddon's agent until after
the upcoming season. The Cubs also dismissed hitting coach
Chili Davis and pitching coach
Jim Hickey, both of whom were hired the preceding year.
After the team limped to a 1–6 start through its first seven games, the Cubs overtook the
St. Louis Cardinals for first place on May 5 with a three-game home sweep of the division rivals. From April 7 through May 29, the Cubs had a 22–7 record at 24–14 overall and 2.0 games above the second-place
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
.
Through the remainder of the 2019 season, the Cubs played sub-500 baseball with a 60–64 record, which included a two-month stretch where the team did not win a road series. However, the Cubs remained in contention for both a Wild Card spot and the Central Division heading into the final 10 games of the season, seven of which were against the division-leading Cardinals. St. Louis swept Chicago at Wrigley Field in four games for the first time since 1921, the first of a nine-game losing stretch that would keep the Cubs from a playoff berth for the first time since 2014.
On September 29, before the final game of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
, Epstein and Maddon announced in a joint press conference that Maddon's initial five-year contract would not be renewed. Maddon's final game as Cubs manager was a 9–0 loss to St. Louis that clinched the division and ended a four-year playoff drought for the Cardinals. The Cubs finished in third place at 84–78, seven games out of first place.
Maddon's departure was originally described by both the Cubs and himself as a "mutual agreement" to part ways, but he later revealed in 2021 that he actually wanted to continue as the Cubs manager with a two-year extension and that his release as Cubs manager was one-sided.
Return to the Los Angeles Angels (2020–2022)

On October 16, 2019, it was announced that Maddon would be returning to the Angels as manager for the 2020 season. He signed a three-year deal.
2020 season
Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the 2020 season was shortened to 60 games. In addition, the playoffs were expanded to include eight teams from each leagues instead of the regular five. Despite this, the Angels finished the season at 26–34 to finish in fourth place in the AL West, missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
2021 season
Maddon led the Angels in the 2021 season, his first 162-game season as manager for the team. In February 2021, Maddon announced that he would allow
Shohei Ohtani to both hit and pitch following his 2019 Tommy John surgery recovery and 2020 setback. Maddon and the Angels adopted a 6-man rotation to allow Ohtani to pitch once every 7 days and serve as
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...
in-between. On April 4, 2021, Maddon let Ohtani bat for himself as a starting pitcher for the first time in his career. It was the first time in Angels history that a manager had waived the designated hitter spot and was the first time across the American League since the Tampa Bay Rays did so on May 17, 2009, an instance where Maddon himself accidentally submitted an incorrect lineup card. Just before the
2021 All-Star Game, Maddon consulted American League team manager
Kevin Cash about having Ohtani both hit and pitch in the game.
The Angels finished the 2021 season with a 77–85 record, placing 4th in their division and missing the playoffs. Maddon made 6 successful managerial challenges out of 20 attempts, a rate of 30%. He was ejected from 3 games. The Angels hit
sacrifice bunts at a 2.0% rate, the highest under Maddon's management since the 2014 Rays and similar to the
small ball that the 2002 Angels utilized when Maddon was an assistant coach.
2022 season
A month before the start of the 2022 season, Maddon told the media that he was considering the possibility of moving veteran superstar
Mike Trout out of
center field to a
corner outfield spot in an effort to prevent injuries. In the hypothetical move, Trout would have been moved out of center field for the first time since 2013 in favor of
Brandon Marsh, a former top prospect who spent time at the position during Trout's 2021 injury. Less than 24 hours after floating the idea, Maddon met with Trout and ultimately decided that he would keep him in center field.
On April 15, 2022, in a game where the Angels trailed the
Texas Rangers 3–2, Maddon ordered that
Corey Seager be
intentionally walked despite the bases being loaded, making the score 4–2. The Rangers then went up 6–2 in the inning after a
sacrifice fly hit by
Mitch Garver and a balk by Angels pitcher
Austin Warren that scored
Marcus Semien. It was the first time a manager called for an intentional walk with the bases loaded since Maddon himself did so on
Josh Hamilton in 2008. It was the first instance of a manager ordering an intentional walk with the bases loaded while trailing in the game since
Jim O'Rourke of the
1881 Buffalo Bisons. The Angels proceeded to win the game by a score of 9–6.
On June 7, 2022, as the team reached a 12-game losing streak, Maddon was fired by the Angels upon a visit to his
Pasadena home by general manager
Perry Minasian.
Managerial record
Uniform number
Maddon wears the unusual
uniform #70. He has said that his preferred number used to be #20, but that he lost that number when future Hall-of-Famer
Don Sutton came to the Angels. He was then randomly assigned #70 and declared that he would never change it so that his number would never be taken from him again.
Charitable organizations
Maddon's organization, Respect 90 Foundation, hosts a charity golf tournament annually in his hometown of
Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Respect 90 and Maddon also sponsor a charity boxing event in Chicago annually. The Respect 90 Foundation raises funds to benefit inner city youth.
In 2017, Joe Maddon and his neighbor Jill Kelley hosted a Gasparilla party for wounded veterans.
Personal life
Maddon has two children from a previous marriage and has five grandchildren through it. Maddon married his second wife in 2008.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball All-Star Game managers
*
List of Major League Baseball managers with most career ejections
*
List of Major League Baseball managers with most career wins
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddon, Joe
1954 births
Living people
Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania
American people of Italian descent
American people of Polish descent
Anaheim Angels coaches
Anaheim Angels managers
Baseball catchers
Baseball players from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
California Angels coaches
California Angels managers
California Angels scouts
Chicago Cubs managers
Lafayette College alumni
Lafayette Leopards baseball players
Lafayette Leopards football players
Los Angeles Angels managers
Los Angeles Angels coaches
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award winners
People from Brea, California
People from Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Quad Cities Angels players
Salinas Angels players
Santa Clara Padres players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays managers
Tampa Bay Rays managers
Maddon, Joe
20th-century American sportsmen