The Angels’ coaching staff under new manager Kurt Suzuki is continuing to take shape, and three familiar faces are joining the mix.
The Angels have hired former catcher Max Stassi as their catching coach, Triple-A Salt Lake manager Keith Johnson as third-base coach and Double-A Rocket City skipper Andy Schatzley as infield coach. General manager Perry Minasian announced the three hirings on Wednesday at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas.
Stassi, Johnson and Schatzley follow the hirings of Mike Maddux as pitching coach, John Gibbons as bench coach and Adam Eaton as first-base coach and outfield instructor.
News of Stassi, Johnson and Schatzley joining Suzuki’s staff was first reported by the Orange County Register.
As part of his 10-season big league career, Stassi played 240 games over parts of four seasons with the Angels from 2019-22, after they acquired him from the Astros before the ‘19 Trade Deadline. He spent this past season in the Giants organization and played 20 games with Triple-A Sacramento.
In an interview with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding on Wednesday, Minasian raved about Stassi’s character and his attention to detail, and cited the importance of his relationship with Suzuki. They were Angels teammates from 2021-22.
“He has a great relationship with our manager,” Minasian said. “When you're both catching, they were attached at the hip, right? So that's important from a manager standpoint; to have people around you that you trust, that you love, that are talented, too. They make players better.
“[Stassi has] always been one of those guys, when he played, that had the ability to connect with different people from different walks of life. We expect him to do that when he walks in the room.”
Johnson and Schatzley each have a connection with Suzuki, who spent the past three years as a special assistant to Minasian. They also are very familiar with the Angels' young core of Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Christian Moore and Logan O'Hoppe through their shared time in the Minors.
Johnson has spent 18 seasons in the Angels' organization, including three stints as Salt Lake’s manager from 2011-14, ‘16-18 and ‘23-25. Schatzley just wrapped up his fifth season managing in the Halos’ farm system. He spent the past four seasons as Rocket City’s skipper after managing High-A Tri City in 2021.
“KJ, Andy, they've done a great job for us,” Minasian said. “They're well deserving of the opportunity. They’re workers. Their attention to detail, their commitment to the fundamentals [is important].
“… [Suzuki has] had the ability to create relationships with those guys, so I think it's one of those things where you just hit the ground running.”