ANAHEIM -- The Angels added two coaches to their staff on Friday, hiring former Orioles slugger Brady Anderson as hitting coach and longtime outfielder and big league coach John Mabry as assistant hitting coach.
Anderson is an unconventional hire under new manager Kurt Suzuki, as he has no Major League or Minor League coaching experience, although he did serve as a special assistant and vice president of baseball operations with the Orioles from 2012-19. Mabry, though, does have plenty of experience as a hitting coach/assistant hitting coach with the Cardinals (2012-19), Royals (2020-22) and Marlins (2023-24), and he was a senior advisor for the coaching staff with the Orioles last year.
Anderson, 61, is best remembered for his breakout season with the Orioles in 1996, which saw him hit 50 homers after previously never hitting more than 21 in a season. He was an All-Star in '92, '96 and '97 with the Orioles, playing 14 years with them from 1988-2001 after a trade from the Red Sox as a rookie before a final season with Cleveland in 2002.
Mabry, 55, also had a long Major League career, playing for 14 seasons with stints on the Cardinals (1994-98, '01, '04-05), Mariners (1999-2000, '03), Padres (2000), Marlins (2001), Phillies (2002), A's (2002), Cubs (2006) and Rockies (2007).
He got his start in coaching with St. Louis in 2012 as an assistant hitting coach and was promoted to hitting coach in ’13 and remained in that role until being dismissed in July 2018. He then served as a Major League coach with the Royals before becoming an assistant hitting coach with the Marlins for two years.
Last year, Mabry was hired by the Orioles on May 30, and he spent the rest of the season as a senior advisor to the coaching staff.
Anderson and Mabry will be tasked with helping the Angels make more contact next season, as they struck out the second-most times by any club in Major League history. They ranked fourth in MLB with 226 homers but scored the sixth-fewest runs in the Majors, as their offense was too boom or bust.
They lost some power on Tuesday when they traded Taylor Ward to the Orioles for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. Ward hit a career-high 36 homers, and his production and durability will be missed. But the Angels are now likely to add another outfielder, with center field a priority, especially after saving roughly $13 million to 14 million with the trade.
Anderson and Mabry join a coaching staff that also includes Mike Maddux as pitching coach, Max Stassi as catching coach, Triple-A Salt Lake manager Keith Johnson as third-base coach, Double-A Rocket City skipper Andy Schatzley as infield coach, John Gibbons as bench coach and Adam Eaton as first-base coach and outfield instructor. They still need to hire an assistant pitching coach/bullpen coach.