Gio Gonzalez continued his impressive start to the 2016 season with a strong performance against the Phillies Saturday afternoon. Is newly hired pitching coach Mike Maddux to thank?
When reviewing the Nationals’ offseason, most would probably point to the signing of second baseman Daniel Murphy or hire of Dusty Baker as the biggest moves of the winter. However, Murphy and Baker were not the only newcomers in D.C. this season. Mike Maddux was let go by the Texas Rangers last October, and the Nats did not think twice before scooping up the 54-year old pitching guru less than two weeks later.
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Now, 11 games into the season, Maddux is already making his presence felt out on the field. Big time. The team currently tops all of baseball with a 2.06 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a staggering .204/.276/.311 slash line. The offense may have been the talk of the offseason, but Maddux just may be the steal of the year.
Gio Gonzalez has been looking to regain his 2012 form for several years now, but to no avail. Two starts into 2016 however, he may be pitching even better. After going seven innings and allowing only one run Sunday afternoon, the Florida native now sports a 0.69 ERA and has continuously credited Maddux with helping him tinker with his mechanics.
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Any rotation that sports the likes of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gonzalez at the top is going to have the potential to compete with the best in the league. Throw in a productive Tanner Roark and blossoming Joe Ross, and you just might have the best group of starters in Major League Baseball (you hear that New York?).
Okay okay overreactions aside, can this rotation really carry this team like it did in 2012 or 2014? Jordan Zimmermann may be pitching in Detroit, but that slider Ross features looks awfully familiar. Let’s also not forget that Roark was actually the man in 2014, and given a full season as a starter, who’s to say he can’t do it again?
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Before Maddux joined Texas prior to the 2009 season. The Rangers were coming off a season in which they posted a league-worst 5.37 ERA, and many considered their home ballpark to be one of the most hitter-friendly parks in all of baseball. With Maddux, however, Texas saw their team ERA drop in three consecutive seasons.
Now that Maddux is coaching a staff with arms like Scherzer and Strasburg, the sky’s the limit for this team. This is by far the best rotation he’s coached since he had C.C. Sabathia in Milwaukee, and this one can still be better. With an offense that will actually be providing a decent amount of run support, Washington pitchers should have plenty of room to work with.