The Angels announced to reporters, including Alden González of ESPN, that they have hired Tim Laker to be their offensive coordinator.
Laker, 54 next week, spent the 2023 season with the Dodgers, working as that club’s minor league hitting coordinator. That was the latest stop in a coaching career that goes back over a decade. After playing in the big leagues from 1992 to 2006, Laker began coaching shortly after that. He bounced around various minor league clubs before getting to the big leagues with the Diamondbacks, getting hired by that club to be assistant hitting coach in 2017.
After a couple of years with the Snakes, Laker was hired by the Mariners to be their hitting coach prior to the 2019 campaign. He held that gig for three years but declined an opportunity to return in 2022. In February of that year, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Laker had joined the Dodgers as minor league hitting coordinator, shortly after helping Matt Carpenter to rejuvenate his career.
The Angels have been busy revamping their staff of late, with Ron Washington taking over the manager’s chair. They have also hired Ryan Goins as infield coach, Eric Young Sr. as third base coach, Bo Porter as first base coach, Johnny Washington as hitting coach, Jerry Narron as catching coach and Barry Enright as pitching coach.
True Lakers fan!
Would not Jim Harbaugh, an accomplished sign stealer, been a better choice?
Better served on the Astro’s.
So he’s actually a Los Angeles Laker
Anaheim Laker
Los Angeles Laker of Anaheim
Los Angeles. Offensive coordinators. Butt heads. This has got to be about the Rams, right?
There we go that’s it.
Los Angeles Laker of Anaheim by way of Minneapolis
Angels hiring people for a football team?
Well, They did hire him to be the offensive coordinator!!
Has one of the best Hail Mary playbooks at the trade deadline.
@flanster
Well if you can’t be a decent mlb team might as well and try and be a nfl team, hell if arte is lucky enough his new hybrid team will have a new super stadium in Dubai because the nfl will allow the move because it’s the nfl and they don’t have a franchise in the biggest Arabian market with money, and to ease things with mlb the comish of the nfl will help manfraud put a time clock on how long it takes the bat boys to grab bats and deliver balls.
Who will be the defensive coordinator, Jim Celtic?
Joe Bull
Hey if you like Blink, I’m releasing an album with Blinks producer. Follow me on IG stev_powers
We haven’t figured this baseball thing out yet so maybe that’s the new direction.
Wrong sport
You’re a wrong sport.
In a true Halo11 moment here…..
My brother was friends with Tim Laker. (no joke).
“Was friends”……what happened to make them not be friends anymore
Family moved away
Im sure no one cares, but my son played Pony League for Lakers brother back in the day. Fwiw, he also played club ball for former Phillies SS Kevin Stocker.
Halo 11 said he was a cool guy.
Ok stupid question time, wtf is an offensive coordinator going on a mlb team, that the manger or bench coach can’t handle? I’m starting to wonder if the angels have fully lost the plot and now think they have la’s 3rd nfl team.
I just find it offensive.
Offensive coordinator I’m guessing is the new name for hitting coach. Pitching coaches will be named Defensive coordinators in a few years.
Johnny Washington is the new hitting coach.
Offensive coordinators sit in press box and devise top of the line, tech/analytic driven strategies to integrate opponents pitch calls into all facets of strategic planning, generating symbiosis at each level of function, form, and execution in developing and growing offensive tactics in pre-time wholistic preparation and real-time functional efficiencies.
No wonder Mike Scioscia left the game and retired 5 years ago more analytic crap
I don’t get it either. What are this guy’s job duties? Does he call everyone in and tell them they need to hit better? Does he gather stats? This organization is exhausting. I look forward to the team hiring a pitching coordinator. We need three starters. Seth Lugo to be #3. Snell to be #1. And then they need to sign a #2. And we need relievers. But that can wait– I need to buy tickets to see the offensive coordinator.
My guess is that he is going to tell the batter how to hit with 2 strikes and the right fielder slowly walking into the dirt to snag that shallow fly ball while the 3b distracts the on deck guy? I know baseball has a lot of strategy but it’s not they type of game that needs a special position to come up with a way to score. Let’s be honest the only real strategy in bb from day one is to hit the ball (or walk) then advance to the next base by any means necessary (which in today’s game wait for a walk or hr). I get the oc/dc job in football they have a Birds Eye view on an action packed game and can see something that someone on the field or sideline won’t have, but in bb really it’s not like we can extreme shift anymore.
The last known offensive coordinator was in Houston and he banged on a large waste basket. Allegedly.
Thought it would announce him as the new Cardinals catcher.
Not our next catcher however I thought he might be our new gm after mo gets promoted to ceo of baseball operations, grish gets pbo, then laker gets ast pbo or full blown gm.
Curious who the Defensive Coordinator will be…joking aside, never heard of an OC for baseball, but it makes total sense. Each game/pitcher, the team should have an offensive strategy. Sure, chicks dig the long ball and getting on base is key, however, a more focused, chess-like approach at the plate won’t hurt.
What does an offensive coordinator do in baseball. Pretty soon there will be a position coach for each position
Not a bad idea.
Could also have a hitting coach for every conceivable pitch count. “I’m the coach for 1-1”.!
Mariners will doing a lot more play action and triplets next season
Somebody should tell them it’s not a football team.
The weird titles are getting out of hand.
Alright Halos…. coaching is set. Let’s go and get some pitching and fill some holes. And as much as I like him, move on from Shotime and save that money for the next few years and spend it on several players. Plenty of good players available…let’s get it done!
The Angels have question marks at virtually every offensive position. So what’s the point? The Angels need to wait a year to find out which position has been answered in the positive or negative.
Build a gosh darn bullpen. Add a top tier starter. Then next off-season, figure out what to do next.
This off-season there are just too many questions and not enough data to reasonably guess the answers.
Halo11Fan- They do have some question marks yes. most of that comes due to injuries. If they were to do as you say and stay mostly healthy I think they stand a chance of making the playoffs. They do have a lot of talent on the roster in potential if the can find a way to stay healthy. I don’t think there are many or any teams that could manage to survive injuries like the Angels had last year. If that happens again it really does not matter who they get. remember they where one of the top run scoring teams before the injuries kept mounting up. Only 1 SP and 1 RP made it though the season without hitting the IL. Most took time to get up to speed when they returned. NOT ONE BATTER did this. Even with all that they could have, or really, should have won more games with better managing of the lineup and especially the bullpen . Kind of like the whitesox a couple years ago. there is talent here. There is a decent chance they could be good in 24.
The point about the position players is I don’t know who to replace? There is so much incomplete information.
There is talent.
Halo11Fan _ Sorry, didn’t mean to write a book.
DGHalos, I agree Let’s go get some pitching, maybe add a little depth to the lineup as well.
I completely disagree (shocker) with Halo11 abut the Angels having questions marks in virtually every offensive position. But then again I never played baseball against Chili Davis, so……………………….
The Angels needed an overhaul. Hiring from the Dodgers seems like a better move than hiring from McDonalds.
Could’ve hired Matt Canada for the position
How about Bill Mexico?
Good! Now all we need is Arte spending money on scouting and development. And the spring training. ballpark
The Bron James!
Why not Tim Nugget?
We need Arte to reconsider selling the team
As a Pirates fan, I’d switch owners for 2 seasons. I bet you’d want Arte back and think he is a god after spring training in year one.
The Angels have been really intentional about addressing their coaching staff and next is addressing their pitching and hitting needs but this an encouraging start.
He’s a better OC than Matt Canada.
No kidding, canucks should stick to hockey, its simpler after you learn how to tie the skates.
The baseball offensive coordinator, however rare and unconventional, has historically squatted down near the batter in the on deck circle when their team is batting. While receiving audio feed from the Skipper via headphones, the OC then shouts out/ relays info to the batter after every pitch etc…
This guy is good. Angels fans should be optimistic. He is sort of a hitting guru and guys have been known to seek him out on their own dime just to get a few sessions in with him.
If the Angels can unload the big contracts this year, they should!! Arte needs to let baseball people make baseball decisions. Trout’s contract isn’t going to age well
Offensive coordinator? Wrong sport
What’s this guy’s experience calling plays?
Since when does baseball have offensive coordinators?
Special teams coach is next on the Angels radar.
Hope he installs more play-action and r.p.o’s in the game plan.
Sooooo a boatload of mediocre coaches and managers but not a sniff in the free agent PLAYER market. We remember players dont we, you know the guys who go out and win games. This is the Angels we all know and love. Splashing in the kiddie pool. Next world series appearance will be 2039… Unless Arte clones himself.
They’re going to need to sign a couple good FAs to achieve mediocrity next year.
Brian frigging Downing,
Other than Aaron Nola signing, and even that isn’t a big splash, no one is signing big names yet. I am assuming most people are waiting to see where Ohtani goes, then we are likely to see the frenzy begin.
I am glad the Angels are using this time to get a staff in place. Hopefully each of the new staff came bring in a fresh opinion on free agents and we find a good blend to elevate the roster into playoff contenders in 2024.0
Based on their team, seems they should’ve also hired a defensive coordinator, a special teams coach, and an extra PR person!
Baseball turning into the No Fun League. Unfortunate…
The staff looks good and is so
if mentioned on the air due to merets
Opposite of last year
the great bambi, I completely agree.
The funnier part is the fact that the Angels are even the first to us the offensive coordinator title. They aren’t the first to use it this off season! Creative front office and coaching titles have become quite regular in the past few seasons.
People it is a job title, in other words, a means to get another set of eyes on the players to help assess batting/ pitching/ positioning.
Great. Maybe get some players now.
He did a poor job as hitting coach in Seattle