Joe Maddon
Date of Birth: 2/8/1954
Birthplace: Hazleton, Pennsylvania
College: Lafayette College
Joe Maddon has had a long career in baseball but almost all of that time has been in the minor leagues. He was a catcher for minor league teams and afterwards served in various positions with the Los Angeles Angels organization. He served as interim manager of the Angels in 1996 and 1999. The team's win-loss records under Maddon's leadership were 8-14 in 1996 and 19-10 in 1999.
In November, 2005, Maddon was hired to manage the Tampa Bay Rays. His first two years, the Rays did poorly, having win-loss records of 61-101 in 2006 and 66-96 in 2007, and ending up fifth in the American League East division both years. The 2008 season, however, was a very different story. Under Maddon's leadership, the Tampa Bay Rays ended the regular season with 97 wins and 65 losses, winning the AL East division. They went on to win the ALCS and then played against the Philadelphia Phillies in their first World Series.
The Rays continued to play well under Maddon's leadership, reaching the playoffs in 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2013, they finished in second place in the AL East division with a 92-71 win-loss record. They won a Wild Card slot and defeated the Cleveland Indians in a Wild Card game. The Rays then lost the AL division series to the Boston Red Sox.
The 2014 season was not a good one for the Rays or Maddon. The team finished in fourth place in the AL East division with a 77-85 record. In nine years of managing the Rays, Maddon led the team to 754 wins and 705 losses.
On October 24, 2014, Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays. He subsequently signed a new managerial contract with the Chicago Cubs. He had a strong first season as the Cubs' manager, leading the team to a 97-65 record and a Wild Card spot. The team defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game with a score of 4-0. They then went on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals three games to one in the NL Division Series. They lost the NL Championship Series to the New York Mets in a four game sweep. For his achievements with the Cubs in 2015, Maddon received his third Manager of the Year award.
In 2016, Maddon led the Cubs to the best record in baseball and the first World Series the team has won in 108 years. They finished the regular season with 103 wins to just 58 losses. They then went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants in four games in the NL division series, the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the NL Championship series, and the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the World Series.
Maddon led the Cubs to a NL Central division title again in 2017, with 92 wins and 70 losses. They then won the NLDS in five games over the Washington Nationals, but they lost the NLCS to the Dodgers in five games.
The Cubs and Maddon again had a winning season in 2018, with 95 wins and 68 losses. However, they lost the division title in a tie-breaker game against the Milwaukee Brewers. They went on to a Wild Card game, which they lost to the Colorado Rockies.
Maddon led the Cubs to another winning season in 2019, with 84 wins and 78 losses. However, they didn't get to the postseason and the Cubs did not re-sign Maddon to a new contract. He didn't have to wait long for another managerial position - the Los Angeles Angels signed him on October 16, 2019. He led the Angels to a fourth place finish in the AL West division in 2020. They had 26 wins and 34 losses.
Maddon wasn't successful with the Angels in 2021. The team finished in fourth place in the AL West division with 77 wins and 85 losses.
The Angels and Maddon started the 2022 season in first place in the AL West division, but by the end of May, they were on a losing streak. After a 12 game losing streak, Maddon was fired on June 7th.
Maddon's record in 18 years as a major league manager is 1,382 wins to 1,216 losses.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe Maddon
Baseball Reference - Joe Maddon