Angels hire director of player personnel Ray Montgomery as bench coach

The Angels are hiring director of player personnel Ray Montgomery as their bench coach, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (on Twitter). Heyman tweeted Wednesday night that Montgomery had emerged as a candidate for the position.

It’s an interesting hire, as Montgomery has not yet worked on a big-league coaching staff. The 52-year-old does, however, have plenty of experience in scouting and front-office roles. That includes stints as scouting director with the Brewers and Diamondbacks.

After being hired as Angels general manager during the 2019-20 offseason, Perry Minasian quickly added the New York native to Anaheim’s front office. Montgomery also has some playing experience, having briefly appeared in the majors as an outfielder with the Astros in the late 1990’s.

It’s not entirely clear what role previous bench coach Mike Gallego will have moving forward. He’s expected to remain on Joe Maddon’s staff in some capacity. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported Wednesday that Gallego might return to third base coaching, a role he held in 2019. Phil Nevin had seemingly been tabbed as third base coach in November, but that may no longer be the case. Rosenthal now reports that Nevin’s role with the Angels is yet to be determined, but he is still expected to take on some role on Maddon’s staff.