He also took out Hendricks for no reason
Chicago Cubs 2026
Holy crap, he won us a WS for the first time since airplanes were in their infancy…since cars resembled 4 wheeled bicycles…since before they STARTED construction on the Titanic …and there are people complaining about him?
I agree that he got jumpy in game 7, but if you blame him for almost losing that game, you also have to give him credit for masterminding the comeback from being down 3-1 in the series.
Even if he is mid, I have no incentive to say it because of 2016. How quickly we freaking lose perspective.
I agree that he got jumpy in game 7, but if you blame him for almost losing that game, you also have to give him credit for masterminding the comeback from being down 3-1 in the series.
Even if he is mid, I have no incentive to say it because of 2016. How quickly we freaking lose perspective.
He only managed 5 seasons and was absolutely gifted a championship roster by Epstein.
Maddon was, by far, the worst manager of a bullpen that I can ever remember the Cubs having. He was one perfectly timed rain delay from being run out of town after the 2016 season.
Aroldis Chapman
Game 5. 3 innings
Game 6. Brings him in a 7 run game
Game 7. Despite Hendricks rolling, despite Lester rolling....he decides to bring a burned out Chapman in for a 2 inning save.
They got the lead in extras and were relegated to a Carl Edwards Jr./Mike Montgomery combo to close out the World Fricken Series.
During the season, the man was running out of pitchers in the 8th inning. A couple of times, he was sticking them in the outfield, just to bring them back in. He also had a team blow a 7 game lead to Milwaukee, which was the start of the demise.
In 2016, he had his entire infield in the All Star game. That's where that winning percentage came from.
I have to disagree here. Most managers aren't gifted an All Star team to manage. There's not a lot the could have gone wrong that year outside of staff mismanagement. He did exactly that. His lack of being able to manage the pen cost them in game 1 vs the Dodgers and Montero bailed him out with the grand slam and divine intervention bailed him out in game 7 vs Cleveland.
He absolutely abused Chapman's arm.
Arm chair managers. He was the right leader. You under estimate leadership.
Leadership builds World Series winners. It takes a lot of money to overcome a team with effective leadership.
Since Maddon's inclusion is apparently still under debate, would anyone consider Jim Essian?
I will agree with you there. He's a phenomenal leader and manager of personalities. That's all that team required. He kept their heads level and there is definitely something to be said for that.
As a man, Maddon is as good as it gets. He's down to earth, he's unique, he kept things loose......all facts.
As an actual game manager, in the National League, he was terrible because the DH was not yet a thing and he just over managed.
Joe was ahead of the curve on analytics, and fielding shifts. Things everyone does now, but few were doing at the time.
He kept those guys loose in an environment where plenty of uber-talented, All-Star rosters have crumbled under the pressure time and time again.
How many times did we see Cubs teams who were similarly talented get swept in the playoffs, or have something wild happen that led to the wheels falling off? More than I’d like to remember. Mentally, these guys were under crazy pressure… They could have easily folded after being down 1-3 in the Series. They were resilient despite a long history of great Cubs teams coming up small.
Did he ride Chapman hard? You bet. Who else was pitching great out of the pen? It’s not like he broke the guy. 10 years later, and he’s still throwing BBs, has never missed significant time.
Did he pull Hendricks too early? Possibly. You can neither prove or disprove what would have happened if he stayed in the game, but his splits in 2016 show a markedly worse pitcher after the 5th inning and/or 75 pitches. Hendricks had just issued a walk, which was a pretty un-Kyle thing to do with a lead and 2 outs. Kyle was in uncharted waters regarding IP in a season at that point. He went to Lester, his horse, for the lefty/lefty. Unfortunately, Jon wasn’t as efficient or precise as one would have hoped.
In the end, they won the dang game. Nothing else matters.
I could be heard in the next county when he took Hendricks out.
Ultimately, this is the only fact that counts.