The Los Angeles Angels wasted no time hiring a new manager. One day removed from seeing their rival Seattle Mariners bounced from the ALCS, LA decided to close the deal on their new manager.
Kurt Suzuki, the longtime catcher who played for the Angels, is now the manager, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“The Los Angeles Angels are hiring Kurt Suzuki as manager, sources tell ESPN. Suzuki, 42, spent 16 years as a major league catcher and has spent the last three seasons as a special assistant to Angels general manager Perry Minasian.”
Suzuki replaces Ron Washington, who was the former manager, and Ray Montgomery, the interim manager.
Los Angeles interviewed Albert Pujols for the job, but he was out of the running in the latest update.
Suzuki had a lengthy career playing from 2007 to 2022. He became a veteran catcher that a good number of teams wanted on their roster. He played for the Oakland Athletics for the majority of his years, but ended his career playing two seasons with the Angels. Suzuki was a big part of the Washington Nationals' World Series run in 2019.
Suzuki was not much of a power hitter, but he hit 143 home runs in his career. He had a lifetime batting average of .255 and an OPS of .702. As primarily a backup catcher, he took on the role of being a player-coach toward the end of his career. This is something he can thrive at.
