The Los Angeles Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott, and bullpen coach Dom Chiti on August 11, seven weeks into the final stretch of the MLB regular season. Interim general manager John Mozeliak announced the staff shakeup, assigning Tim Leveque as interim pitching coach and Michael Wuertz as interim bullpen coach for the remainder of the campaign.
In a prepared statement, Mozeliak cited the need to "elevate our entire pitching program" and position the team for future success. The Angels currently rank 24th in MLB with a 4.53 earned-run average (ERA), lead the majors in walks allowed, and have blown 20 of 36 save opportunities. Their 4.89 ERA from last season was the league’s worst, and they sit at the bottom of the standings with the worst record in baseball (45-74). Hitters have also underperformed, ranking 26th in runs scored.
The firings follow a rebuilding push by Mozeliak, who traded eight major-league players the prior week to accelerate the franchise’s overhaul. The move marks the sixth pitching coach hired in seven years and comes as manager Kurt Suzuki’s contract expires at season’s end. If a new manager is hired, it would be the team’s sixth in eight years.
Leveque, who replaces Maddux, joined the Angels this season as the pitching coach for Double-A Rocket City and previously spent 20 seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, including nine years as senior minor-league pitching coordinator. Wuertz, assuming bullpen duties, has been with the Angels for 11 seasons and previously served as the club’s minor-league pitching coordinator.
Mozeliak had stated in June that he considered the coaching staff and Suzuki "fine for this year," but the latest changes signal a shift in the organization’s approach. The dismissed coaches—Maddux, Scott, and Chiti—were all working under one-year contracts expiring at season’s end, providing the Angels flexibility to reassess their pitching infrastructure before finalizing future decisions.
The team’s pitching struggles have been a persistent issue, with the staff ranking near the bottom of MLB in key metrics. The shakeup reflects Mozeliak’s broader strategy to use the final weeks of the season as a real-time evaluation period for the franchise’s long-term direction.