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After Mike Maddux’s Exit, Who Steps In to Lead the Rangers’ Pitching Staff?

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Zion Trammel | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 7:20 PM ET

The Texas Rangers lost a key member of their coaching staff. On Friday, Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports reported that pitching coach Mike Maddux was departing from the organization, and taking the same role with the Los Angeles Angels.

After Texas parted ways with Bruce Bochy and hired Skip Schumaker to be the next manager, it was expected that some changes in the coaching staff was coming. However, this was someone the Rangers couldn't afford to lose.

Maddux is a well-respected coach and helped guide Texas to one of the best seasons from a pitching perspective in franchise history. They led the MLB in team ERA at 3.41. He was also a part of the staff that won the Rangers their first World Series title in 2023.

It's an unfortunate loss for Texas, and now the search begins for the next pitching coach in Arlington. Who will president of baseball operations Chris Young decide on to guide the pitching in 2026?

Who Will be the Next Pitching Coach for the Texas Rangers?

Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (subscription required), he gave a couple options for the Rangers to consider. Jordan Tiegs is the current bullpen coach for Texas. Tiegs has been with the organization since 2019. He served as the pitching coach for the Arizona Complex League Rangers.

In 2021, he joined the Hickory Crawdads (Single-A) as the pitching coach, before spending 2022-24 as the Rangers minor league pitching coordinator. One year ago, he was named the bullpen coach for the club.

Grant said, "The Rangers do think highly of Jordan Tiegs, who came through the minor league system and was instrumental in the growth of the bullpen and some younger pitchers in 2025."

Tiegs feels like the top option for Young and would bring familiarity for a team dealing with lots of changes in the staff.

The other option Grant mentioned is Mel Stottlemyre Jr. He began his coaching career in the big leagues during the 2009 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He served as the pitching coach before being released in 2010. He would eventually return in 2013 as the bullpen coach.

Stottlemyre Jr. became the pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners in 2015, and then hired by the Miami Marlins in 2018 with the same position. He served under Schumaker in 2023-24. It could be an option for the new skipper to look at.

Unfortunately, the timing of Maddux's departure is not ideal. They got a head start over other teams by naming their skipper early in the managerial cycle. Now, everyone else has caught up, so the competition to find a pitching coach will be tough.