To say that the Los Angeles Angels are having a rough 2026 season would be an understatement. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Angels have fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, along with assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.
The move represents a big upheaval for an organization that has one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. Entering play on August 11, the Angels are in the bottom 10 teams in ERA (4.53), FIP (4.29), and fWAR (9.1).
Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak provided a statement about the coaching staff changes.
“After spending time discussing with [manager Kurt Suzuki] where we are as a coaching staff and where we want to go in the future, we felt it was best to make a change. With seven weeks remaining, we plan to use this time to evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best position us for success moving forward.”
Recapping Mike Maddux’s Short Tenure with the Angels
GettyAngels pitching coach Mike Maddux during a mound visit. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Angels hired Mike Maddux ahead of the 2026 season. The renowned pitching coach was on the Texas Rangers‘ staff when they won the 2023 World Series. The hope was he’d help the Angels improve one of the worst pitching staffs in 2025.
While there were improvements, since there was nowhere to go but up, it wasn’t enough to prevent the organization from making sweeping changes. The Angels hold the worst record in MLB at 45-74, and the club has decided to hold the pitching coaches accountable first.
The Angels invested a lot of draft capital into improving their pitching pipeline. That has yielded inconsistent results, but they have some pretty good arms on the team. It’s hard to pinpoint how much of the credit that Maddux deserves for it, but the team is in a better place with their pitching staff after he left.
Reid Detmers is looking like a potential All-Star pitcher for the first time in his career. Walbert Urena has turned in a solid rookie campaign. In the back end of their bullpen, they have two quality arms in left-hander Samy Natera Jr. and right-hander Ben Joyce.
Maddux shouldn’t have too many problems finding a new job in MLB. The Rangers attempted to keep the long-time pitching coach, but couldn’t convince him to stay.
Angels Announce Replacements After Coaching Staff Upheaval
GettyFormer Cubs and Athletics reliever Michael Wuertz is back in MLB as a coach. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
The Angels will turn to other options to lead the pitching staff for the final 43 games of the season. The team announced they will turn to Tim Leveque as the pitching coach and former MLB reliever Michael Wuertz as the bullpen coach.
Leveque has previous ties with Mozeliak. The 58-year-old spent the previous 20 seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals system in their pitching development. He joined the Angels as the pitching coach with their Double-A affiliate, the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
Wuertz, 47, spent eight seasons in MLB with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. He had a 3.71 ERA and 3.79 FIP across 426 career appearances. Wuertz has spent over a decade as a minor league pitching coach or coordinator in the Angels system. He was their minor league pitching coordinator for 2026.
The Angels are hoping to get some results from new voices in the room. But the team is likely headed for a sweeping regime change. They’ll have to hire a general manager to replace Perry Minasian and a manager after the season, as Kurt Suzuki’s one-year deal expires after the season.
Angels Fire World Champion Pitching Coach in Major Organizational Shakeup