Angels to make significant changes to coaching staff

Manager Kurt Suzuki won’t be the only fresh face in the Los Angeles Angels’ dugout next season. Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that Los Angeles is expected to have an almost entirely new coaching staff in 2026. It’s unclear whether any coaches will return. Hitting coach Johnny Washington and pitching coach Barry Enright are among the coaches not being brought back.

The Angels’ managerial search has earned plenty of headlines in recent weeks after the team decided neither Ron Washington nor Ray Montgomery would return in 2026. Albert Pujols seemed to be next in line, but the sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract. Torii Hunter was seen as the fallback if Pujols didn’t work out, but he was also removed from consideration. 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 put together a coaching staff. Candidates would likely be looking for more stability than a manager on a one-year deal (though it does have multiple option years).

After a few years as a minor league pitching coach in Arizona, Enright worked as the Diamondbacks’ assistant pitching coach in 2022. He held that role through 2023. He became the pitching coach of the Angels 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 this past season, finishing 28th in ERA. They had the fourth-lowest strikeout rate and the highest walk rate.

Enright pitched in parts of four big-league seasons. He played for the Angels in his final two seasons, though he totaled just 12 innings.

Washington received his first big-league coaching gig with San Diego, serving as the first base coach in 2017. He became the team’s hitting coach in 2018, holding 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. It jumped to fourth in home runs, though it came with a league-leading 27.1% strikeout rate.