Angels Fire Joe Maddon: What’s Next Amid Losing Streak?

Angels Fire Joe Maddon

The Angels’ 12-game losing streak has claimed its first victim, as third-year manager Joe Maddon’s firing was announced in a 20-word press release on Tuesday afternoon.

The Angels entered this season with renewed expectations, just as they did in 2021, 2020, 2019, and virtually every year in the Mike Trout era. For six weeks, it looked like this season might be different. Los Angeles was 27-17 on the morning of May 25, with a powerful offense and formidable rotation that seemed like it could give the Astros a run in the AL West.

The last 12 games have been something out of a nightmare, a stretch that includes a four-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays, a sweep by the Yankees, and a sweep by the Phillies, who fired their own manager the day the series began. The last two games have been a particular low point for the Angels. On Sunday, the bullpen blew a 4-run lead in the 8th inning and lost another lead in the 9th. A day later, the Angels were shut out by Red Sox starter Michael Wacha, who had a 5.05 ERA last season. After the game, Maddon was angered by a reporter who asked whether he thought his team was competing hard enough. That would be Maddon’s final public moment as Angels manager.

Where Do The Angels Go From Here?

At 27-29, the Angels aren’t dead just yet. This team held a postseason spot as recently as this past weekend, and the addition of an extra wild card slot will keep that window open even after such a dramatic losing streak. Phil Nevin, a former big leaguer who was serving as the Angels’ third base coach, will take over as interim manager the rest of the way. Nevin was a fiery personality during a stint as the Yankees’ third base coach from 2018-2021 – if the Angels are looking to light a fire under the players, he’s the right man for the job. Maddon wasn’t a manager who totally lacked energy, but at 68, he may not have been the best option to inspire a flailing team.

Any losing streak that reaches 12 games indicates failure all around the roster. Some of these issues will fix themselves. Mike Trout just snapped an 0-for-23 stretch, something you probably won’t see again for a long time regardless of who the manager is. While the offense has been mostly abysmal during this stretch, you have to figure guys like Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Jared Walsh will find their power again; the trio hasn’t hit a single home run over their last seven games. At some point, Taylor Ward and Anthony Rendon will come back off the IL. This team should hit.

Phil Nevin and co. will have to figure out how the pitching staff can perform like it did early in the season. For years, pitching has been the problem for the Angels, and that problem looked like it might’ve been solved until late last month. The Angels’ bullpen has a 5.88 ERA over the course of the losing streak, second-worst in the AL in that span. Five different starters have allowed 5+ runs in a start over these 12 games, and the one who didn’t – Chase Silseth – lasted less than two innings in his last start. Reid Detmers and Noah Syndergaard looked much better in their most recent outings, but this kind of inconsistency just isn’t good enough. If the struggles continue, Nevin might be forced to trim the Angels’ six-man rotation down to five. A six-man rotation only works when the back end isn’t a glaring weakness.

It’s not hard to find similarities between the Angels and Phillies, who have both fired World Series-winning managers in the last few days. Both Maddon and Joe Girardi knew they were signing up for high expectations with franchises desperate to snap a postseason drought. When money gets spent and results don’t follow, sweeping changes are unavoidable.