MADDON IS AN ANGEL YET AGAIN
Former Cubs boss has spent 31 years working in organization
Manager canned by Cubs returns to manage for the organization that was his home for more than three decades.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Joe Maddon is back under the halo.
Maddon agreed to a three-year deal to become the Los Angeles Angels’ manager on Wednesday, reuniting the World Series-winning former bench boss of the Chicago Cubs with the organization where he spent the first three decades of his baseball career.
“We are thrilled that Joe is coming back home and bringing an exciting brand of baseball to our fans,” general manager Billy Eppler said. “Every stop he has made throughout his managerial career, he has built a culture that is focused on winning while also allowing his players to thrive. We believe Joe will be a great asset for our club and look forward to him leading the team to another World Series championship.”
The Angels will formally introduce the 65-year-old Maddon at a news conference next week, but he already knows his way around Angel Stadium.
Maddon signed with the Angels as an undrafted catcher in 1975, and he spent the next 31 seasons working at almost every level of the organization as a player, coach and manager. He served as a big league assistant coach under five managers, and he had two stints as the Angels’ interim manager.
He was the Angels’ bench coach alongside manager Mike Scioscia during their championship season in 2002.
“I could not be more excited to come back home and manage this great organization,” Maddon said. “I’d like to thank (owner) Arte Moreno, Billy Eppler and (president) John Carpino for giving me the opportunity to add another chapter to my Angels career. I was lucky enough to be a part of the first Angels team to win a World Series title, and I look forward to the opportunity to bring Angel fans their second championship.”
ROBOT UMPIRE: San Francisco Giants prospect Jacob Heyward was ejected from an Arizona Fall League game on Tuesday for arguing after taking a called strike three.
It’s not the first and it won’t be the last time a player is tossed for venting frustrations over balls and strikes, but Heyward may have made history with his ejection.
He apparently took issue with a call made by a “robot umpire.”
During a game on Tuesday evening, Heyward was called out on a curveball that ended up down around his ankles by the time the opposing catcher caught the ball. However, the technology in use determined that the pitch actually crossed through the lower, inside corner of the strike zone as it passed home plate.
The Arizona Fall League is testing technology for an electronic strike zone and balls and strikes, which Major League Baseball calls the automated ball-strike (ABS) system. The technology is being deployed for games at Salt River Fields, where Heyward and his teammates on the Scottsdale Scorpions are playing their home games this fall.
The ABS uses software to determine whether a pitch crossed through the strike zone, which is automatically adjusted for the height of each player. Home plate umpires wear a receiver and an earpiece so that when the ABS informs them of a ball or strike call, they can relay that to the field.
Heyward was upset with the call that led to his strikeout and video replay suggests he has a compelling argument. The opposing catcher made no effort to frame a pitch that was initially set up to be thrown on or slightly off the outside corner.
PHILLIES: The Phillies met earlier this week with Joe Girardi and Buck Showalter and were scheduled to meet Wednesday with Dusty Baker. Those are the only candidates to emerge so far, and a source said this week that Girardi and Showalter are the early favorites.
All three are veteran managers with established track records. All three have been to October, won Manager of the Year awards, and succeeded under the pressure that a market like Philadelphia can bring. The group has a combined 53 years of managerial experience, something the Phillies are clearly valuing in their search.
“Look, I think any time you’re in this position, you should be looking to do everything you can to make sure you make the best decision,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said last week. “And you should start, if you have people who are proven managers, you should absolutely include them on your list.”