On Thursday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame Contemporary Era Committee came out with a list of managers, executives, and umpires who could be elected to go into the Hall in 2024. Surprisingly, they ignored longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who has more wins than some of the candidates. This oversight should be corrected.
Scioscia was frequently overlooked for any honor even as a longtime Dodger catcher. During the 1980s, Scioscia played an integral role in LA's success when they won four division titles and two world championships. After his retirement in 1993, he became a Dodger coach. If the Dodgers hadn’t chosen to go outside the organization to find a manager, Scioscia would have been their manager.
Instead, Scioscia became the Angels manager in 1999 where he led the club until the end of the 2018 season. He won 1,650 out of 3,078 games (.536 winning %). In 2002, Scioscia piloted the Angels to their first and only world championship. While the Halos remained strong during the 2000s, the quality of the roster slipped during the 2010s and Scioscia was dismissed by club owner Arte Moreno.
Three different managers have come and gone since.
Even if Scioscia was on the list that could be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the likelihood he would be is slim. However, he has more wins than Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson. He kept his managerial job for 18 years. He wasn’t fired ever, and the Angels rarely had a scandal while Scioscia managed.
Since Scioscia retired, the Los Angeles Angels have changed managers regularly. They haven’t had any stability or postseason appearances in the last five years.
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