Joe Maddon fired as Angels losing streak hits 12 games; Phil Nevin takes over as interim skipper

It’s gotten even worse in Anaheim.

Amid a 12-game losing streak that sunk the team under .500, the Angels fired manager Joe Maddon on Tuesday.

Phil Nevin will serve as the interim manager. Nevin, the former Yankees’ third base coach, held the same position with the Angels.

Maddon, 68, ends his Anaheim tenure with a 130-148 record. The 2022 season was his third with the team, who did not qualify for the playoffs in any of Maddon’s years at the helm.

Maddon says he was surprised by the move and that management did a bad job of reading the situation.

“A little bit. Actually, a lot,” Maddon told The Athletic. “You always rely on people in charge to read the tea leaves properly. This time, they did not. You didn’t even have to ask me. You can ask any of the players or coaches. They’re the ones who really know.”

After starting the year 27-17 and keeping up with Houston, the Angels have come down to earth with a big thud. The 12 straight losses also overlapped with the worst stretch of Mike Trout’s career. Trout’s 0-for-26 slump kept him hitless in seven games from May 29 to June 5, the Halos lost each of those games, and their .600 winning percentage was gone, just like the manager.

Maddon takes an established resume with him, though it’s one that doesn’t have a playoff appearance since 2018. From 2006-2014, Maddon oversaw a Tampa Bay Rays team that transformed the franchise’s reputation, going 754-705 (.517) and making four playoff berths.

The Cubs went 471-339 (.581) in five years under Maddon, winning a World Series that ensures Maddon will never pay for a drink in Chicago again. Like he did with the Angels, Maddon inherited a win-now team when hired by the Cubs. They were able to accomplish the mission together, while the Angels will scour the job market yet again in search of the one.

For Nevin, this will be his first MLB managerial experience. He managed in independent ball and for seven seasons in the Tigers’ and Diamondbacks’ minor league systems before becoming a third base coach in the big leagues. Nevin becomes the third manager the Angels have had since Mike Scioscia’s final season in 2018.