Joe Maddon announced as Angels manager

Joe Maddon has been announced as the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

After parting ways with the Chicago Cubs, he will return to the organization where he began his coaching career. From 1979-1994 Maddon bounced around serving multiple positions in the Angels’ minor league affiliates. From 1994-1999, he held myriad positions with the major league club, until 2000, when he served as bench coach under Mike Scioscia. Maddon would win a World Series ring with the Angels in 2002.

After being hired as the Tampa Bay Rays’ manager in 2006, he took them to their only World Series berth in team history in 2008. He opted-out of his contract in 2015, to sign with the Chicago Cubs.

Possibly his most famous gig in the MLB, he served as the Cubs’ manager from 2015-2019. He ended the longest championship drought in professional sports history, winning the World Series in 2016. The Cubs did not resign him for the 2020 season, causing the Angels to hire him after firing one-year manager Brad Ausmus.

With a career record of 1252-1068, he was clearly hired to get Mike Trout and the rest of the Angels over the hump. A noted player’s manager, Los Angeles is clearly trying to change the culture around the team. With talent like Trout and Ohtani, they are ready to end the playoff drought of six years.

The Angels also need some guidance and a bit of a reset. The team is currently in the midst of a legal battle regarding illegal drug abuse and the overdose by pitcher Tyler Skaggs during the regular season. You can read more about that here, courtesy of Sports Illustrated.

There may be no better manager than Maddon to change the culture and pick up the players. He was noted for creating an incredibly loose atmosphere in the Chicago clubhouse, to offset the intense pressure they were under to win it all.

No details about the length of his contract have emerged just yet. However, ESPN reports that it may be in the three year, $12-$13 million range.

Maddon and the Angels begin their 2020 season in Houston.

Featured Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports

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