Washington Nationals: Mike Maddux loss stings deep

Former Washington Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux takes the job in St. Louis. Yet, another key loss for a team searching for answers.

The Washington Nationals took another blow Thursday when pitching coach Mike Maddux accepted the same position with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Although his contract was not renewed when Washington let go of manager Dusty Baker, it is a surprise the Nats did not try to keep who most consider the top pitching coach in baseball.

In his two years in DC, Maddux’s staff ranked second and third in National League ERA. Despite the bullpen problems plaguing the first half of the year, their ERA+ of 115 was third and 15 percent above league average.

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You can nitpick the decision to not renew Baker, but letting Maddux walk with little effort is head-scratching. Under him, Stephen Strasburg blossomed going full time from the stretch and Gio Gonzalez bounced back into an All-Star threat. Max Scherzer winning one Cy Young Award, and possibly a second, is a testament to Maddux’s skills.

All credit to St. Louis as they are now in bonafide contention next year in the NL Central with Chicago and Milwaukee.

As a pitcher, Maddux was average. A grizzled veteran who took the mound 472 times over 15 seasons and nine teams. An effective reliever who could spot you a start and tell stories about his younger brother. You might have heard of Greg Maddux.

The fame eluding the elder Maddux came as a coach. When the Texas Rangers won consecutive American League pennants, Maddux was their pitching coach. Getting to back-to-back World Series playing half your games at hitter-friendly Globe Life Park is no accident.

The same applies here.

Between Baker’s long-term approach and Maddux’s steady handling of the staff, the Nats averaged 96 wins over two seasons. You cannot blame the starters for losing either NL Divisional Series. This time, Strasburg and Scherzer took no-hitters into the sixth inning and Washington dropped both games.

Unlike managers, coaches are normally interchangeable. They wander from team to team as hey climb the ladder turning into managers or executives.

Maddux is special in a couple different ways. His work as a coach made him a household name, for starters. Also, he has no burning desire to manage that we know of. Like Leo Mazzone and Dave Duncan before him, he is there to improve his pitchers.

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Whoever gets the manager’s job with Washington has every right to bring in his own crew, but not having Maddux available makes the Nats weaker from the start. He is that good.

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