Why LA Angels should stick with Joe Maddon past 2022 season

Times are certainly changing throughout the tenure of LA Angels General Manager Perry Minasian, and that change raises some questions.

The team had just appointed Ray Montgomery as bench coach after serving time in the front office as director of player personnel.

With him serving as the bench coach, and Angels' current manager Joe Maddon having one more year left on his contract, it could be seen as a move to get him towards the managers' position. However, based on how much the coaching staff is changing for 2022, it could make sense to keep Maddon in charge.

Joe Maddon is the right man for the job with the LA Angels.

While Maddon's tenure with the team has been rough, three years might not be a fair enough assessment to criticize how he's managing the team. While making sure the team is heading in the right direction, Maddon has made questionable calls to the bullpen in the past which has cost the team. However, it's been known that he is a firm believer in blending the two popular techniques in the game with the old-school eye test, and the new school statistics and things that people can't explain when just looking at players.

"Data versus art," as Maddon coined it when explained in his introductory press conference as the new Angels Manager.

He went on to further explain the difference between the two, stating; "You should never ever disassociate one or the other. To just be all analytically inclined or heartbeat inclined, you are going to lose. You are not going to be the best version of yourself. You are not."

This came from an article by previous Angels beat writer for The Athletic, Fabian Ardaya, as he went further explaining the significance of former Angels director of quantitative analysis, Kevin Ferris.

Kevin Ferris left for Boston, and now in charge of research and analysis is Matt Johnson. That title of formulating key data for players falls to him and Perry Minasain's front office. This also comes with interpreting the data to make it useful for players during in-game situations.

The previously mentioned article goes further on to mention that philosophy is something Maddon is trying to key in on. With a change in general manager, that philosophy could change without being on the same page, which is the main thing that needs to happen.

Changing managers either during the season or possibly after Maddon's contract is up will probably lead to further straying away from a philosophy they are trying to develop. So far, with the changing of scouting and the hires of new coaches, it would seem Minasian is here to stay for a while. Both front office and manager need to be working as one functional unit.