Joe Maddon's third stint as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels lasted just three seasons. He was fired amid a brutally disappointing season. With his latest managerial stint needing on such a sour note, Maddon let his frustrations with managing in the modern game known.
Maddon explained to Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times the influence the front office and analytics departments can have on managers. His resentment for being overridden on key decisions by the front office is on full display.
“It’s at the point where some GM should really just put a uniform on and go down to the dugout, or their main analytical membrane, he should go down to the dugout,” Joe Maddon said, via the Tampa Bay Times. “Because they try to work this middle man kind of a thing. And what happens is when the performance isn’t what they think it should be, it’s never about the acquisitional process. It’s always about the inability of coaches and managers to get the best out of a player. And that’s where this tremendous disconnect is formed.”
Joe Maddon's quote showcases the importance of having a manager whose thinking is in line with the front office and that managers should not always be the ones to blame for confusing and bad in-game decisions. As the analytics movement continues in baseball, managers will have to be ready to adapt to the new game.
Joe Maddon has some excellent experience as a manager. He turned around the fortunes of the Tampa Bay Rays to get them into the World Series and helped the Chicago Cubs break the Curse of the Billy Goat in 2016. He still wants to manage in MLB but which team will bring him in is another question.
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