The 5 Best Moves Joe Maddon made in his first year with the Cubs

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Year one of the Joe Maddon Era in Chicago was a smashing success. Maddon swept into town, with expectations at an all-time high. The Cubs delivered 97 wins in the regular season and reached the NLCS. Kris Bryant won the National League Rookie of the Year, and Jake Arrieta could claim the Cy Young. The Cubs reached the postseason way ahead of schedule, and Maddon himself, was rewarded with the Manager of the Year award.

Same old same old for Maddon. The crafty manager pushed all the right buttons on a team full of rookies and young players. It takes a special manager’s touch to coax 97 wins out of a lineup that included up to five rookies by the end of the year. The 2015 season was a special one for Maddon and the Cubs, even if it came up short of the World Series.

Read on to see the manager’s five best moves from the award-winning season.