Manager Kurt Suzuki won’t be the only fresh face in the Angels’ dugout next season. Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that Los Angeles is expected to have an almost entirely new coaching staff by 2026. It is unclear if any coaches will return. Hitting coach Johnny Washington and pitching coach Barry Enright are among the coaches not being brought back.
The Angels’ management search has generated plenty of headlines in recent weeks after the team decided Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery would not return in 2026. Albert Pujols seemed to be next in line, but the teams could not agree on a contract. Torii Hunter was seen as the fallback if Pujols failed, but he was also left out. Suzuki was announced as the new skipper on Tuesday.
Suzuki received a one-year contract. As Blum noted, the length of the deal could make it more difficult to assemble a coaching staff. Candidates would likely be looking for more stability than a manager on a one-year contract (although there are multiple option years).
After a few years as a minor league pitching coach in Arizona, Enright served as the Diamondbacks’ assistant pitching coach in 2022. He served in that role through 2023. He became the Angels’ pitching coach in 2024. Los Angeles ranked 26th in ERA in Enright’s first season. The pitching staff had the second-lowest strikeout rate and the second-highest walk rate. The Angels weren’t much better last season, finishing 28th in ERA. They had the fourth lowest strikeout rate and the highest walk rate.
Enright pitched in parts of four seasons in the big league. He played for the Angels in his final two seasons, although he only played 12 total innings.
Washington received his first big league coaching gig with San Diego, serving as first base coach in 2017. He became the team’s hitting coach in 2018 and served in that role through 2019. After two years as an assistant with the Cubs, he was hired as the Angels’ hitting coach in 2024.
The Angels ranked 28th in scoring in Washington’s first season. Only the Mariners and White Sox had a lower batting average. Los Angeles improved to 25th in scoring this past season. They jumped to fourth in home runs, although that came with a league-high 27.1% strikeout rate.
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