Angels third baseman Matt Duffy (5) celebrates with starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (25) and left fielder Jo Adell (7) and catcher Max Stassi (33) after hitting a walk off single to score the winning run against the Houston Astros in the 12th inning at Angel Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Former Angels Catcher Retires, Immediately Joins Coaching Staff

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 8:12 PM ET

The Angels tapped into their recent history when they named former catcher Kurt Suzuki as their new manager in October.

Of course, why only bring back one of your former catchers into the dugout when you can have two?

The Angels filled another one of their coaching vacancies Wednesday when they named Max Stassi their catching coach. Jerry Narron, who turns 70 in January, had filled the role the last three seasons.

The Angels have hired Max Stassi as their catching coach. He was playing as recently as last year. Last played in the majors with the Angels in 22 (with Suzuki)

Also hired Keith Johnson (AAA mgr) as 3B coach and Andy Schatzley (AA mgr) as IF coach.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) November 12, 2025

Stassi, 34, played for the Angels from 2019-23. He signed with the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2025 season and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento.

But an injury limited Stassi to 20 games with the Giants' top farm team. He elected free agency at the end of the season and had not yet signed with a team for 2026.

Now, after 403 games over seasons with the Houston Astros (2013-19) and Angels (2019-22), Stassi's playing career is over. The Woodland, California native gets to return to the site of his final major league game to continue his career as a coach.

“Obviously, he played here,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said of Stassi (via Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group). “He understands. He’s got a great relationship with the manager. They were really tight when they played together.

"And he's a worker. He loves the game, he studies the game, the technical side of catching. He’s very talented. Whether it’s receiving, whether it’s throwing, whether it’s blocking, all those things. He takes a lot of pride in that. … Obviously, he’s somebody that we feel like can come in and impact the catchers we have in a real positive way.”

Stassi's last MLB game was with the Angels on Oct. 5, 2022 — his 102nd game of the season. Prior to the 2023 season, Stassi sustained a hip injury in spring training that eventually required surgery, setting him up to miss significant time.

In April 2023, Max’s son, Jackson, was born three months premature. The boy struggled in his early weeks and months of life — an ordeal that ultimately caused Stassi to sit out the entire season. Stassi was placed on the injured list for the first five months of the season, allowing him to be paid the majority of the $7 million he was owed.

The Angels traded Stassi to the Braves at the end of the season, ending his tenure in Anaheim.

As Fletcher reported, the Angels are also bringing back longtime minor league manager Keith Johnson as their third base coach, and former Double-A manager Andy Schatzley will be the team's infield coach under Suzuki.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Angels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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