By Michael Heilman

The Los Angeles Angels announced today they are bringing back a familiar face to the Angels organization with the hiring of Joe Maddon as the new Manager.

Maddon was an interim Angels manager on two separate occasions in 1996 and 1999. In 2006 he left the Angels organization to manage the Tampa Bay Rays. Under Maddon’s leadership of the Rays, he helped guide the Rays to two American League East titles in 2008 and 2010, along with wild card births in 2011 and 2013, and a World Series appearance in 2008. Maddon left the Rays organization after the 2014 season to become the manager of the Chicago Cubs. As the manager of the Cubs, Maddon guided the Cubs to two NL Central Division titles, a wild card berth in 2015, two NLCS appearances, and winning the World Series in 2016, ending the Cubs 108-year drought. Maddon is a three-time Manager of the Year in 2008, 2011, and 2015.

Joe Maddon will be the Angels manager for the next three years for 12 million dollars making him the second-highest-paid Manager behind Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona.

Angels General Manager Billy Eppler commented on Joe Maddon returning to the Angels saying “We are thrilled that Joe is coming back home and bringing an exciting brand of baseball to our fans,” Eppler added “We believe Joe will be a great asset for our club and look forward to him leading the team to another World Series Championship.”

The Angels finished the 2019 season with a record of 72-90 missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year. By bringing back Joe Maddon, the Angels will look to recapture the glory days when Maddon was an assistant under then Angels Manager Mike Scioscia when they won the World Series in 2002 defeating the San Francisco Giants. Since 2006, Joe Maddon has turned decent teams into winning teams. Are the Angels destined to be the next winning team under him, history says yes?