Examining Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon Hiring
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Well the Chicago Cubs did it; they fired Rick Rentaria in favor of Joe Maddon. This decision was made in hopes the successful manager can win them the World Series in the near future.
This move comes with a ridiculous amount of positives. For example, Maddon has experience managing a young team, a history of winning (an overall winning percentage of .517) and he has achieved this winning record in a division that houses the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Not only winning, but dominating on a small-market team in a tough division is enough reason to hire Maddon.
However, no decision comes without possible negative outcomes. First of all, Maddon is considered a new-age manager, as he likes the stats a little more than the average guy. This is a good thing for the front office since their manager is on the same page as their system, but remember what happened last time the team tried to make Starlin Castro an on-base player. He didn’t hit anything and on top of that, his frustrations brought down team morale.
Another thing that Maddon will have to do is alter his in-game managing style. The discussion during the World Series was if Ned Yost would be able to manage an NL style game for three games on the road. Maddon may have the same issue moving to the NL because having to manage without a DH is drastically different than managing with one. However, it’s not as if Maddon had a Billy Butler or David Ortiz as a DH with the Tampa Bay Rays, but there is still a huge difference between a position player and a pitcher at the plate.
The Cubs are banking on Joe Maddon producing as advertised and it is likely that he will based on all of his positive attributes. However, one can never forget the possible negative outcomes when making any kind of decision. I have complete faith in the amount of effort the Chicago front office puts into their decisions and no matter what happens at the end of the day, there will be Cubs baseball in 2015 and Joe Maddon will be their manager.
Matthew Haines is a Chicago Cubs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @mhaine86 , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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