Angels introduce new manager Suzuki, 'the right person for the job'
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ANAHEIM -- The Angels have named their next manager.
Longtime Major League catcher Kurt Suzuki was officially hired as the club’s skipper on Tuesday, a day after both Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter were said to be out of the running for the position. Like Pujols and Hunter, Suzuki had been a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian. Suzuki was officially introduced at Angel Stadium on Wednesday and received a one-year deal, which is rare for a manager.
“I gotta tell you, I don't know if I've ever been this excited to give somebody an opportunity like this,” Minasian said. “He’s one of the best human beings you will ever meet in baseball and outside of baseball, and to me, that's really, really important in a leadership role.”
Suzuki, 42, is plenty familiar with the organization, having served in the special assistant role for three years after playing for the Angels; his playing days with the club lasted from 2021-22, the final two seasons of his 16-year playing career. Suzuki has spent time with the Angels during Spring Training and visited the club’s complex in Arizona, and he was with the team down the stretch as it conducted organizational exit interviews.
He became emotional when describing what it meant for him and his family to get an opportunity to manage for the first time.
“This means a lot to me,” Suzuki said. “I'm excited for this opportunity. I'm excited to work for this fan base, for this ownership, for this front office and especially for the players.”
He was also teammates with current Angels players Mike Trout, Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward, Reid Detmers, Jo Adell, Chase Silseth and Anthony Rendon during his time with the club. Minasian was also an assistant GM with the Braves during Suzuki’s stint in Atlanta from 2017-18.
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Suzuki, though, has no professional managing or coaching experience. He’ll be tasked with picking a new coaching staff, as the team's previous coaches were all told they were free to look elsewhere. Suzuki, however, may retain any coaches as he sees fit and said he’s starting that process soon.
Suzuki was known as a tough competitor behind the plate and a clubhouse leader throughout his career. He was an All-Star with the Twins in 2014 and helped lead the Nationals to the 2019 World Series title.
He batted .255/.314/.388 with 143 homers, 295 doubles and 730 RBIs in 1,635 games with the A's (2007-12, '13), Nationals (2012-13, '19-20), Twins (2014-16), Braves (2017-18) and Angels (2021-22).
Suzuki was originally drafted by the A's as a second-round pick in 2004 out of Cal State Fullerton, where he led the Titans to the '04 College World Series title. He’s a native of Wailuku, Hawaii, and will be MLB’s first Hawaiian-born non-interim manager.
“It makes me feel proud,” Suzuki said. “I hope I can give these kids dreams and goals to strive for as they get older.”
Suzuki replaces Ron Washington, who took over in 2024. Washington was placed on season-ending medical leave on June 20 and underwent a quadruple bypass heart surgery on June 30. Ray Montgomery served as interim manager, but the Angels decided after the season that neither he nor Washington would return as manager. Montgomery, though, is still mulling a return to the organization in a different capacity, while Washington declined an offer to join the organization in a different role and wants to manage again somewhere else.
It’s been a whirlwind of managers for the Angels in recent years, as Suzuki is their fifth full-time manager since longtime skipper Mike Scioscia stepped down after 2018. Brad Ausmus ('19), Joe Maddon ('20-22), Phil Nevin ('22-23) and Washington ('24-25) all struggled in that role.
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Suzuki takes over an Angels club that has suffered through 10 straight losing seasons and hasn’t been to the postseason since 2014. The Angels went 72-90 in 2025, a nine-win improvement on their 63-99 record in ’24 -- which was the worst in franchise history. But the Angels still have plenty of underlying issues, as they ranked 25th in runs scored (673), 28th in on-base percentage (.298) and 28th in ERA (4.89) this year.
It didn’t appear that past managerial experience was a prerequisite for the Angels, as Pujols, Hunter and Suzuki have no professional experience. But they’re hopeful they’ll find similar success as the Guardians did with Stephen Vogt and the Mariners did with Dan Wilson, as both former catchers had limited experience but have fared well.
“I never thought I'd be comfortable hiring a manager who wasn't a manager before,” Minasian said. “But this is a different individual. I believe he’s the right person for the job.”