MLB

Which MLB Managers Have Been Fired in 2022?

Four skippers have been let go so far this season

Which MLB managers have been fired in 2022? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

When it comes to struggling baseball teams, the blame often falls on the manager.

In 2022, five managers have already paid the price for their underwhelming clubs. Some of those organizations have improved since their skippers got canned, but a change in leadership hasn’t made much of an overall difference in other spots.

Here are the managers who have been let go so far this season:

Joe Girardi, Philadelphia Phillies

Girardi became the first MLB manager to be fired this season when the Phillies announced the decision on June 3. The team was 22-29 to begin 2022, trailing the division-leading Mets by 12 games just two months into the season. Girardi, a World Series-winning manager with the Yankees, had a 132-141 record in his two-plus seasons in Philadelphia.

Bench coach Rob Thomson was named the interim manager after Girardi was fired, and Philadelphia has since turned its season around in a major way. The team won its first eight games with Thomson in charge and is 41-22 overall since June 3, putting itself squarely in the NL wild card chase.

Joe Maddon, Los Angeles Angels

Another World Series champion was fired just four days after Girardi.

The Angels fired Maddon on June 7 with the team in the midst of a 12-game losing streak. L.A. had gone from a division-leading 21-11 on May 10 to 8.5 games back in the AL West by the time Maddon was let go. In all, the Angels went 130-148 during Maddon’s second managerial stint with the team.

Since switching to interim manager Phil Nevin, the team has continued its losing ways. The Angels are 24-35 following Maddon’s firing and are well out of playoff contention.

Charlie Montoyo, Toronto Blue Jays

Montoyo is the only manager so far this year to be fired from a team with a winning record.

The Blue Jays were 46-42 on July 13 when they moved on from Montoyo, who had signed a contract extension just three months prior. Even though they were in fourth place in the loaded AL East at the time, they were still in position for an AL wild card spot. Montoyo ended his Blue Jays tenure with an even 236-236 record dating back to the start of 2019. 

Toronto is 15-10 since bench coach John Schneider moved into the interim manager role. The squad holds the top AL wild card spot, but it is just 2.5 games from falling out of a playoff position.

Chris Woodward, Texas Rangers

On Aug. 15, Woodward became the fourth manager to be fired this season.

After making some blockbuster free agent acquisitions during the offseason, the Rangers disappointed in 2022. The team held a 51-63 record, fifth-worst in the AL, at the time of Woodward’s firing, bringing his overall record with the team down to 211-287.

Third base coach Tony Beasley was named Texas’ interim manager for the rest of the season.

Mike Matheny, Kansas City Royals

After losing 9-2 to the Cleveland Guardians on the last day of the regular season, subsequently falling to 65-97 on the year, the Royals announced after the game that manager Mike Matheny would not return in 2023. 

Matheny first joined the team in 2019, inheriting a 103-loss squad, and went 26-34 in the shortened 2020 campaign. Kansas City finished 74-88 last year, and though Matheny had his contract option exercised during this year’s spring training, the Royals instead will be looking elsewhere as they hope to make the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series over the New York Mets.

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