Why Rangers hired Mike Maddux, Dayton Moore in MLB’s new (and younger) age

In the baseball hiring game these days, there is a tendency to view experience as a liability. The game is full of more advanced data, biomechanical science, and new-age thinking. The thinking goes: How can older guys embrace new ideas?

There is another train of thought, however: Past success matters, too.

If you go by the former, the Rangers have now made three longer-in-the-tooth hires this winter: Manager Bruce Bochy, who was hired a month ago, pitching coach Mike Maddux and senior advisor to the GM Dayton Moore, both of whom officially joined the organization Wednesday. Average age of the trio: 61 years. Amount of total previous time spent in their current titles (or, in the case of Moore, running a franchise): 61 seasons.

If you go by the latter: That’s 21 playoff berths, seven trips to the World Series and four titles.

For GM Chris Young, experience definitely counts.

“I don’t believe there is one way or another to run the franchise,” he said. “There is a blend. You blend new age with traditional thinking to strike the right balance. Information is unbelievably important, but we also want to synthesize it with experience. There is something to be said for blending traditional values and fresh ideas. If these guys were not open to new ideas, they wouldn’t still be in the game or they wouldn’t have lasted.”

Maddux, 61, has lasted 20 years as a pitching coach and has gone to the postseason with four different teams, including four trips in seven years while with the Rangers from 2009-15. Since 2008, his pitching staffs have made the postseason 11 times. That included the last four years while with St. Louis. He had the opportunity to return to the Cardinals, but wanted something closer to his home in Tarrant County.

Moore, 55, took small-market Kansas City to a pair of World Series in 2014-15. After losing to Bochy’s San Francisco Giants in 2014, the Royals, with Young on the pitching staff, beat the New York Mets in 2015. Moore was fired as Kansas City’s president of baseball operations in September, two weeks after Jon Daniels was fired from the same role with the Rangers. He will take on a role similar to what Daniels was likely to move into had he remained with the Rangers. Daniels took a similar role with Tampa Bay last week.

Neither Maddux nor Moore were available on Wednesday.

“Dayton has been a mentor to me for many years,” Young said. “He had multiple opportunities to get back into the game and I could not be more thrilled that he chose us. He will be involved in all strategic decisions. There is not an area of baseball operations that he will not impact. He believes in what we’re doing.”

Maddux, however, will be the more visible of the hires. He will once again be the one going to the mound for visits and the one putting the reassuring hand on his pitcher’s shoulder when they talk.

He’s considered an expert game-planner, obsessive in dissecting video and a keen believer in establishing self-confidence in pitchers. While those skills may not be as “sexy” as the en vogue arts of pitch design and biomechanic integration, they remain essential. Young did not rule out the possibility of adding further pieces to his “pitching department,” though Maddux will handle the starters and Brett Hayes will return as the bullpen coach.

“He’s the most successful pitching coach in Rangers history, in my opinion, and he’s got a tremendous track record,” Young said. “It’s up to us to supplement his expertise in areas where we can build [the pitching department]. He’s the right fit for what we need right now.

“He’s got a great ability to create an attitude, a conviction and identity,” Young added. “It’s one of his strongest skills in his skillset. It will serve our entire group well.”

Maddux inherits a rotation that had a 4.63 ERA in 2022, which ranked 25th in the majors. The Rangers were low on innings from their starters (24th) and high in walks (2nd highest walk percentage). The club was league average in homers allowed but was among the worst in baseball in 2021. The staff, though, is likely to change significantly. The Rangers have already added Jake Odorizzi and brought back All-Star Martín Pérez to join Jon Gray. The Rangers were 30-26 in games Pérez and Gray started; they were 38-68 in all others last season.

They remain active in both the free agent and trade markets for pitchers at all levels of the market. That includes meeting with Japanese free agent Kodai Senga.

Young also said there was a level of comfort for Bochy, who had a pair of long-time pitching coaches in San Diego (Darren Balsley) and San Francisco (Dave Righetti). While Bochy and Maddux have never worked together, there is a “mutual respect,” Young said.

“I am thrilled to welcome Mike to our coaching staff,” Bochy said in a statement released by the club. “Mike has a unique ability to connect with a pitching staff and motivate pitchers to perform at their highest level. He has had success at every stop in his coaching career and we are excited to bring him on board for a second stint in Arlington.”

Because experience – and success – still matters.

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