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Angels Hire Johnny Washington, Jerry Narron To Coaching Staff

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The Angels have announced two new members of their coaching staff, as Johnny Washington has been hired as the Halos’ hitting coach and Jerry Narron will be the new Major League catching coach.

The 39-year-old Washington has been the Cubs’ assistant hitting coach for the last two seasons, coming off a one-year stint in South Korea for the KBO League’s Hanwha Eagles.  Before that trip abroad, Washington was a longtime coach in the minor leagues with the Dodgers and Padres, and San Diego promoted him to the big league staff in 2017 to act as the first base coach and eventually the hitting coach.

There’s no relation between the new hitting coach and new Angels manager Ron Washington, and the two just missed crossing paths during Johnny’s playing career, as his time as a prospect in the Rangers’ farm system ended just before Ron became the Texas manager prior to the 2007 season.  However, the Angels have had Johnny Washington on their radar in the past, as they interviewed him for their managerial vacancy in the 2019-20 offseason before eventually hiring Joe Maddon.

Under ex-hitting coach Marcus Thames (who is now taking over the hitting coach job with the White Sox), the Angels had mostly decent to middle-of-the-pack batting numbers across the board in 2023.  Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout naturally contributed to lot of the offense, and L.A. got good results from Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward, and Brandon Drury, though injuries plagued the Halos on the whole.  2024 could be a transformative year in Anaheim if Ohtani departs in free agency, so Washington’s to-do list includes continued development for younger bats like Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe, and seeing if Anthony Rendon can get his bat back on track if the third baseman can finally avoid the injury bug.

Narron celebrates his 68th birthday in January, and he brings almost 50 years of experience as a player, coach, manager, and several other roles at the Major League and minor league levels.  Narron is best known for his two stints as a big league manager, helming the Rangers in 2001-02 and the Reds from 2005-07.  He played for the then-California Angels from 1983-86, and he was back in the organization last year as a minor league catching coordinator.

Cubs Add Johnny Washington To Coaching Staff

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The Cubs on Monday announced the hiring of Johnny Washington as their new assistant hitting coach. He’ll work closely with newly hired hitting coach Greg Brown as the Cubs retool their big league staff and their general offensive approach. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma reported a month ago that Washington was finalizing a deal to become the team’s new hitting coach, but the move was not made official until today.

Washington, 37, spent five years with the Padres organization before serving as the hitting coach for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Hanwha Eagles in 2021. With San Diego, he first worked as a minor league hitting coach before eventually serving as the team’s first base coach (2017), assistant hitting coach (2018), hitting coach (2019) and then overall director of minor league hitting (2020). Washington also spent several seasons as a minor league hitting coach with the Dodgers (2009-15) and interviewed for the Angels’ managerial vacancy before the Halos hired Joe Maddon.

A 2003 draft pick by the Rangers, Washington had a seven-year minor league playing career and spent another two years playing in the independent Frontier League. Cubs bench coach Andy Green knows Washington quite well, as Green was the skipper in San Diego both when Washington was first hired and when he first joined the Major League coaching staff.

The combination of Brown and Washington will give Cubs hitters a pair of new voices; hitting coach Anthony Iapoce was dismissed following the completion of the 2021 season, while assistant hitting coach Chris Valaika was hired to serve as the Guardians’ new hitting coach.

Coaching Notes: Royals, Cubs, D-Backs

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The Royals announced two additions to their coaching staff last night. Keoni DeRenne is being hired as assistant hitting coach, while Damon Hollins will join the staff as first base coach. DeRenne, who previously spent time in the Pirates and Cubs organizations, has spent the past two seasons as Kansas City’s assistant hitting coordinator. Hollins, who appeared in parts of four big league seasons between 1998-2006, has been in the organization for more than a decade. He served as interim first base coach in 2020.

The latest on some other coaching situations around the game:

  • The Cubs are expected to hire Johnny Washington as assistant hitting coach, reports Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic. He’ll replace Chris Valaika, who was hired as Guardians’ hitting coach last week. Washington spent a few seasons coaching with the Padres when current Cubs’ bench coach Andy Green was San Diego’s manager. Sharma notes that he spent the 2021 campaign as the hitting coach with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. Washington also garnered some consideration during the Angels’ 2019-20 managerial search, a job that eventually went to former Cubs’ skipper Joe Maddon.
  • Former big league outfielder Peter Bourjos has moved into coaching, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks have hired the 34-year-old as a minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator. Bourjos appeared in parts of ten major league seasons as a player, suiting up for the Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Rays and Braves between 2010-19. He has spent the past two years doing advance scouting work with the Rockies.

Latest On Angels’ Search For Manager

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The Angels have interviewed Padres hitting coach Johnny Washington for their open managerial position, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report. Washington’s one of four known candidates to interview for the job, joining Joe Maddon, Buck Showalter and John Farrell. It appears Washington, Showalter and Farrell will have to look elsewhere, though, as Miller writes Maddon is “all but officially” locked in as the Angels’ next manager.

Washington’s the sole member of the above quartet who has never managed in the majors. A minor league infielder with the Rangers and Dodgers from 2003-09, Washington has garnered quite a bit of experience as an assistant since his playing career ended. Washington was a coach in the Dodgers’ minor league system from 2009-15 before joining the Padres, with whom he got his first big league job as a first base coach in 2017. He began working with their batters (as an assistant hitting coach) the next season.

While Washington may one day prove to be a quality MLB manager, it’s hard to compete with Maddon right now. To many, the 65-year-old Maddon has been a shoo-in to end up with the Angels since the club fired Brad Ausmus on Sept. 30. The Angels’ high level of interest in Maddon is understandable, as he spent three decades with the organization in a variety of roles (including interim manager) before enjoying an eminently successful run as a full-time skipper from 2006-19. Atop the Rays and Cubs during that span, Maddon combined for 1,225 regular-season wins, eight playoff berths, two pennants and a World Series title.

Padres Add Rod Barajas, Damion Easley To Coaching Staff

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The Padres have seen bench coach Mark McGwire step down from his post and dismissed hitting coach Matt Stairs and infield coach Josh Johnson in recent weeks. They’re filling the gaps on the coaching staff from within, per a team announcement. Former big league catcher Rod Barajas, who has been serving as the Padres’ Triple-A manager for the past three seasons, will be the Friars’ new bench coach in 2019. San Diego is promoting assistant hitting coach Johnny Washington to hitting coach. Meanwhile, another former big leaguer, Damion Easley, is moving up from the team’s minor league ranks to serve as assistant hitting coach and infield coach.

Barajas, 43, spent parts of 14 seasons as a catcher in the big leagues, seeing action with the D-backs, Rangers, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mets, Pirates and Phillies. A career .235/.284/.407 hitter in 3784 plate appearances, he’s managed at three levels in the minors and also served as a hitting coach. He’s been connected to Major League managerial openings in the past, most recently seeing his name floated as a potential candidate in the Rangers’ ongoing search. I’s not clear if he ever received an interview, but presumably, his appointment as the bench coach in San Diego indicates that he is not under serious consideration in Arlington either way.

The 34-year-old Washington is among the league’s youngest coaches and has somewhat remarkably already spent two seasons on the Padres’ big league staff. He won’t turn 35 until next May, but Washington has already been coaching professionally since the 2010 season and has steadily risen to more prominent roles in spite of his youth.

Now 48 years of age, Easley is likely a familiar name for many fans after playing 17 seasons in the Majors — from 1992 through 2008. An All-Star and Silver Slugger winner at second base in a career-year back in ’98, Easley spent seven seasons with the Tigers, five with the Angels, two apiece with the Mets and Marlins and individual seasons with the D-backs and Rays. He was a career .253/.329/.404 hitter in his 17 seasons and has been coaching in the Padres’ minor league ranks for the past seven years.

The rest of the Padres’ coaching staff will include returnees Darren Balsley (pitching coach), Doug Bochtler (bullpen), Glenn Hoffman (third base) and recently retired utilityman Skip Schumaker (first base).

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