LA Angels: 3 ideal long-term replacements for Joe Maddon

Joe Maddon, LA Angels
Joe Maddon, LA Angels / Tim Nwachukwu/GettyImages
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The LA Angels have fired Joe Maddon after losing the first 12 games of their 14 game-losing streak. That's the reality. Some fans liked the move, some fans didn't.

Regardless of what every fan's stance is, however, what needs to happen is for the team to move on and figure out who they want leading the charge moving forward long-term.

As for now, Phil Nevin will be the interim manager. He has lost the first two games, but it's of course a long season. There are 104 games left on the year, and the Halos will look to see what they have in Nevin as he tries to right the ship.

No. 3 ideal long-term replacement for LA Angels' Manager Joe Maddon: Phil Nevin

Phil Nevin was Joe Maddon's third base coach this year, and he's obviously the interim manager for the LA Angels right now. He will be the manager for the rest of the season. He was the third base coach for the New York Yankees from 2019 to 2021. Before that, he held that position with the San Francisco Giants in 2017.

Nevin has managed multiple Triple-A teams in his career. One was the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliated Reno Aces. The other was the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliated Toledo Mud Hens. Going from Reno to a MLB third-base coach in 2017, Nevin has a few very nice lines on his resume. If he performs well in this 106-game tryout he has with Anaheim, don't be too surprised if he gets hired permanently.

No. 2 ideal long-term replacement for LA Angels' Manager Joe Maddon: Ray Montgomery

Ray Montgomery is the one that LA Angels fans need to keep their eyes on the most. That's because many speculate that he'll be the next guy. Many around the game believe he could potentially be the manager-in-waiting for the Halos.

They began believing that when he took over as the Halo bench coach this year after spending last year as the Angels' Director of Player Personnel. He's a front office 'guy,' and it's clear that part of the Angels' issue with Maddon is that he wasn't too big into the analytics that the front office wanted him to buy into.

The Halos are absolutely going to be factoring the acceptance of analytics in their new hire, and Montgomery certainly has that type of background. He would likely fit with how Angels GM Perry Minasian sees the best candidate. IS he a good candidate? Well, that's not clear at all.

He doesn't have any coaching experience other than this year, so there's nearly nothing to judge him off of. The opinions of those around him will be king when it comes to whether he proves to be a good candidate for the job or not.

No. 1 ideal long-term replacement for LA Angels' Manager Joe Maddon: Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi would be the most proven candidate out there to replace Joe Maddon on the LA Angels. The only manager who is known to currently be available and potentially willing to take a job who has both a Manager of the Year award and a World Series Championship is Girardi.

It's hard to argue with that resume. Especially considering that while he did have a losing record in his most recent coaching stint (he was 132-141 with the Philadelphia Phillies), he still has a career 1,120-935 (.545) record in his 14 years of managing.

He's made the playoffs six times, and would arguably have another World Series title if not for the Houston Astros' 2017 to 2019 major cheating scandal. He certainly would have another pennant when he was with the Yankees in 2017.

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While he was recently fired during the 2022 season, it's also true that Girardi was routinely never handed anywhere near adequate arms in the bullpen to work with in Philly. The timing is certainly not ideal, but there's not a ton for the Angels to choose from moving forward. Girardi at least has the resume of a good manager. Hopefully more candidates will become available as the season comes to a close so the Halos have many viable options.

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