Every season, a handful of Major League Baseball managers head into the year with a higher expectation to win and a hot seat.
Life Comes At You Fast: MLB Hot Seat Edition pic.twitter.com/RLWgaFL7R2
— Joe (@BartolosCologne) September 30, 2019
While the 2022 season is far away and there is still much to learn, there is already a clear picture of who may be on that hot seat.
Here are the two with the most pressure heading into the season.
2. Joe Maddon, Los Angeles Angels
Joe Maddon is already entering his third full season with the Angels.
After a long track record of success at the managerial position, he has gotten off to a slow start in Los Angeles.
In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Angels went just 26-34 and missed the playoffs.
This past season, they went 77-85 and once again missed out on the postseason despite expectations to make a Wild Card run early in the year.
Angels manager Joe Maddon is running this game like it’s the playoffs and adhering to the code of playing spoiler.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) October 3, 2021
It was the first time since 2006-2007 that Maddon had consecutive under-.500 seasons.
Now, in his third season and with two of the best players in MLB, Maddon will need to prove himself in L.A.
Much of this starts with surrounding Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani with more talent.
This is out of Maddon’s control, but fans can expect the Angels to be active in the free agent market.
If they do make some additions, it will be up to Maddon to craft a winning team.
Add in a healthy Trout and Ohtani, and the Angels should be playoff contenders.
This may put even more pressure on the veteran manager to live up to the expectations.
1. Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Yankees manager Aaron Boone is entering his fifth season as a manager with little to show for it.
While his teams have put up stellar numbers, they’ve failed to get over the hump.
This is despite consistently having one of the league’s most talented rosters.
His failures in game management have upset Yankees fans, as he seems to lack much bullpen management.
This Halloween I dressed up as Aaron Boone and made a bad decision every 3 seconds.
— Jimmy Randazzo (@JimmyRandazzo) October 31, 2021
This was most evident during the American League Wild Card game, when Boone made questionable moves out of the bullpen.
However, even with the fanbase calling for a new manager, the Yankees gave Boone a three-year contract extension.
While this seems to give him some job security, he will have to win over Yankees fans.
There will be even more pressure considering the Yankees look to be buyers this offseason.
If they make some big additions, there won’t be many excuses for Boone.
It will be critical for the Yankees to have a good year, or else the organization may be looking to replace Boone.
Hot Seat Honorable Mentions
Another high-profile name that could find himself on the hot seat next year is Dave Roberts.
It may be surprising: the Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the most successful franchises since Roberts arrived.
However, they have underachieved considering their talented roster and high budget.
This was punctuated by a tough loss in the NLCS to the Atlanta Braves.
regardless of if he gives up those 2 ER or not, bringing in Urias was a terrible decision. Braves have a hole in their rotation for game 4 so save Julio for game 4 at home and try to secure that game as an almost guaranteed win. Dave Roberts first huge mistake this postseason
— Shane Kelley (@shane_kelley7) October 18, 2021
If the Dodgers once again come up short, there may be some difficult conversations in L.A. about the team’s direction.
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa was a controversial signing last year.
In his first season in Chicago, his team made it to the ALDS before being defeated by the Houston Astros.
He is an older manager at the helm of a young team, something that may not mix well in the coming years.
If the team struggles, he could be another name on the hot seat.
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