Angels Newest Manager: Kurt Suzuki
October 21, 2025 - Written by Alex Sukyas
Photo Credit: @MLBTradeRumors - X
On October 4th, the Angels announced former manager Ron Washington will not be returning to the franchise to manage the team for the 2026 season forward. Washington had a rather disappointing stint with the Angels, as fans watched them go 63-99 in his first year as manager, then 72-90 in his second year. Along with these disappointing seasons, Washington was placed on medical leave halfway through the 2025 season due to having to undergo heart surgery. The departure of Washington caused the Angels to launch a search for a new manager, and after interviews with a few candidates, the Angels decided to hire former MLB catcher Kurt Suzuki.
Player Career
Suzuki was drafted in 2004 by the Oakland Athletics and would go on to have an illustrious 16-year career. Suzuki played for a total of five teams: the then-Oakland, now Las Vegas, A’s, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, and the Los Angeles Angels, where he ended his career. Suzuki’s stint with the Angels is not nearly as memorable as his stint with the other teams, such as his career with the A’s, where he spent 7 years. Although it is not as memorable as his time with other teams, it does not mean his time with the Angels was not valuable. He spent his last 2 years in Anaheim, playing a total of 123 games across the 2 seasons. Suzuki also batted .207 and had 10 HRs in this time period. Over the span of his career, Suzuki played 1,635 games, having a career batting average of .255 and racking up 143 career home runs. Suzuki also won a World Series ring in 2019 with the Nationals and an All-Star Game selection in 2014 with the Twins.
Managerial Selection
At the beginning of the managerial search, the Angels had 3 major candidates in mind, all being former Angels. The three candidates were Albert Pujols, Torii Hunter, and Kurt Suzuki. Pujols and the Angels were in talks for a contract for Pujols to join the team, but talks were ended after the team and Pujols could not agree on a salary and the duration of the contract. Hunter was also removed from managerial consideration shortly after. After both of these leading options were removed from the search, the team mentioned wanting to speak to ex-managers Rocco Baldelli and Brandon Hyde. However, Suzuki would end up getting the job shortly after all of this was announced. Suzuki does not have any managerial or coaching experience; after all, he retired only 3 years ago. The only experience Suzuki has is being a special assistant to Angels GM Perry Minasian. It is also worth noting that the Angels weren’t the only team interviewing Suzuki, as the San Francisco Giants were also interviewing Suzuki before ultimately choosing U of Tennessee manager, Tony Vitello, to fill their manager opening. Overall, I believe this is a good hire. This hiring will bring in a manager who is highly familiar with the team, which is never a bad thing. Suzuki will be inheriting a team that has had a disappointing last 2 seasons under Washington, as previously stated. Although the team has been disappointing, with pitching being a major issue, it does contain a young and exciting core of Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Logan O’Hoppe, and Christian Moore.
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