Levine: Cubs’ Joe Maddon Doing Better Job Than 2017 Record Suggests

By Bruce Levine–

CHICAGO (CBS) — Holding on to a precarious two-game lead in the Central Division of the National League, the Chicago Cubs have been downright disappointing.

Nothing pointed out the dysfunction more than losing two out of three games to the lowly Philadelphia Phillies. With all that said, could this be the best managing job Joe Maddon has ever done?

“You look at his career, and Joe has a great track record of his team playing great down the stretch,” Cubs General Manager Jed Hoyer said. “Everyone knows the season is a grind. He has shown both here and in Tampa Bay that his teams play well at the end.”

Normally a lead in a mediocre division this late in the season would be embraced as a real opportunity to play meaningful baseball in October. With the Cubs’ up-and-down campaign, however, most people really do not know what to make of their chances getting into the postseason and then advancing.

Injuries predicted and projected accurately by Cubs President Theo Epstein and Hoyer have impacted the record without question. More importantly, less-than-stellar seasons by the 25-man roster has been the main contributor to an average season on the field. Consider that Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras are the only players who have equalled or surpassed the numbers they brought to the table in 2016.

On the pitching side, injuries have put four of the five opening day starters on the DL at one time or another. The overall record of those opening day pitchers is 38-31. Brett Anderson was released after getting injured and failing to meet expectations. The combined win total of present fourth and fifth starters Jose Quintana and Mike Montgomery is 6-6.

Back to Maddon, who normally uses his 25-man roster to keep players sharp and paying attention. This luxury has not been there all the time this season. Maddon has used people to try and win games that were more difficult to leverage this season than in 2016.

“I like for them to know when they are in there,” Maddon said. “They are able to do other things and change their routine when they have this knowledge. We send the lineup through text message. The guys seem to dig on that. It is a different method for them just waking up in the morning when you know you’re playing or not.”

The manager admitted post All -Star break he no longer had time for a pure player-development plan. Maddon put into action his “time to win” plan. The team 5.5 games behind Milwaukee at the break jumped on the back of their starting rotation from July 14 on. They surged to a 12-2 second half start. The Cubs have been in first place or tied for first since July 26.

Is it possible Maddon is doing a better job of running the ball club now, even if the win-and-loss results have not been met?

“He seems to always be aware of the vibe of the team,” Jason Heyward said of his manager’s intuitive skills. “Joe has a great instinct when it comes to getting people in and out of the lineup. The communication is always what you want. We are told when we are in or out of the lineup in advance.”

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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