Meet your 2016 Los Angeles Angels coaching staff

After last seasons disappointing end with the Los Angeles Angels finishing just a game away out of the playoffs the team decided to make some major changes to their coaching staff. So let’s meet the members of the Los Angeles Angels 2016 coaching staff.

Manager Mike Scioscia –

Mike Scioscia enters into his 17th year as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels making him the longest tenured manager in team history, as well as the longest tenured manager currently in Major League Baseball.

Scioscia has guided the Angels to 1416 – 1176 record in his first 16 season winning seven division titles and one World Series title.  However Scioscia’s teams have only won one division title in the past six seasons (2014) which has led to a lot of speculation on whether Scioscia’s time in Anaheim may be short if the team does not make the playoffs this season.

Scioscia has been very stoic when asked about his future with the team and always takes the high road when asked about it by reporters.  With new general manager Billy Eppler coming in and making sweeping changes to his coaching staff Scioscia can’t help but look over his shoulder thinking he could be next.

Los Angeles Angels 2016 Coaches –

Hitting coach – Dave Hansen.

Dave Hansen played 15 seasons in the majors mostly with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he was a teammate of Scioscia’s for two seasons.  Hansen set a Major League record with seven pinch-hit home runs in a season in 2000.  He also set the Dodgers record for career pinch hits with 110. Hansen finished his career with a .260 batting average with 35 home runs and 222 RBI’s.

After Hansen’s playing career ended in 2005 he has been a hitting coach at various levels for four different teams.  He started in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as a Double-A hitting coach in 2007. The following year he was promoted to minor league hitting instructor where he served for three seasons.

In 2011 Hansen joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a major league hitting instructor and then was promoted to hitting coach in July of that same year where he served until the end of 2012.  He then became the Mariners hitting coach in 2013 before joining the Los Angeles Angels as the assistant hitting coach under Don Baylor.  He assumed the hitting coach duties for three months while Baylor recovered from a broken leg in the 2014 season.

Hansen assumes the duties and his task is to take the league’s fourth worst offense and make them good again.  It will not by an easy task as there have been no major upgrades from last season, but hopefully Hansen’s philosophies on hitting will make a difference for the Angels offense.

Assistant Hitting Coach – Paul Sorrento

Paul Sorrento moves up to assistant hitting coach for the Angels replacing Dave Hansen who assumed the hitting coach duties. Sorrento is a career .257 hitter with 157 home runs and 565 RBI’s.  He played for 11 major league seasons including with four teams including the Twins, Indians, Mariners, and Rays.

Sorrento has been with the Angels since 2012 as the minor league hitting coordinator before being promoted to assistant hitting coach last November.

Pitching Coach – Charles Nagy

Charles Nagy was a three-time all-star starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and he played 13 of his 14 seasons for the Indians compiling a 129-105 record with a 4.51 ERA and he struck out 1,242 batters.  Nagy also won a gold medal for the USA in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Since retiring in 2003 Nagy started coaching first as a pitching coach for the Indians Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 2009.  In October of 2010 Nagy was named the pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks until being fired at the end of the 2013 season.

Last season Nagy served as the special assistant to player development for the Indians before being named to succeed Mike Butcher as the Angels pitching coach. Nagy’s first task will be to decide what five starters to put in the Los Angeles Angels 2016 rotation.

First base coach – Gary DiSarcina

Gary DisSarcina returns for his third season as a coach.  He spent the last two seasons as a third base coach and now switches to first base coach replacing Alfredo Griffin. Prior to working for the Angels DiSarcina spent eight years in the Boston Red Sox organization as a coach and minor league manager.

Discarcina played for 12 seasons with the Angels from 1989-2000 and was an All-Star in 1995 and was team MVP in 1998.  He batted .258 with 28 home runs  and drove in 355 runs.

Third base coach – Ron Roenicke

Ron Roenicke returns to the Los Angeles Angels coaching staff after a six-year absence where he served as the manager for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2010-2015.  Previously he had been the Angels third base for six years and the bench coach for five years from 2000-2010.

Roenicke is reunited with his close friend and former teammate in Mike Scioscia and was part of the staff that guided the Angels to a 2002 World Series Championship.

Bench Coach – Dino Ebel

Dino Ebel returns as the Angels bench coach for his third season in that position as Mike Scioscia’s right hand man. Ebel has been with the Angels since 2005 when he replaced bench coach Joe Maddon who left to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Ebel has been up for multiple manager jobs in the past couple of years and brings a wealth of experience to the Angels bench.  He served as third base coach from 2006 until 2013.

Alfredo Griffin – Infield Coach –

Alfredo Griffin is the longest tenured coach on Mike Scioscia’s staff as he has been with the team for 16 years, coming in with Scioscia when he was hired. Griffin has served as the Los Angeles Angels first base coach in each of his 16 seasons.  However, Griffin’s role has been changed for the 2016 season as he is now the Angels infield coach, with Gary Discarcina taking over as the first base coach duties.

Griffin played for 18 years in the majors mostly for Toronto and Oakland.  He later went to the Los Angeles Dodgers where he won the 1988 World Series.  Griffin was a shortstop with the Toronto, Oakland, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Griffin was Rookie of the Year in 1979.  He also won a Gold Glove in 1985 and he has won three World Series titles.

Scott Radinsky –

Scott Radinsky comes to the Angels as the bullpen coach.  Radinsky pitched for 11 years in the majors for four different teams, White Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Cleveland.  He was a relief pitcher who compiled a 42-25 record with a 3.44 ERA striking out 344 batters in 481.2 innings.  Radinsky also recorded 52 saves.

Radinsky has been coaching since 2010.  He served as the Cleveland Indians bullpen coach for two seasons before becoming their pitching coach for one season.  The last three seasons Radinsky has been a pitching coach at various levels for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Steve Soliz – Catching and Information Coach

Steve Soliz has been with the Angels since 2003.  He was the bullpen catcher from 2003-2010. From 2011-2015 Soliz became the bullpen coach.  However, this season he will serve as a catching and information coach.

Soliz is the second longest tenured coach on Mike Scioscia’s staff.  Soliz never played in the Majors, but did have a nine year minor league career.

Tom Gregorio – Bullpen Catcher

Tom Gregorio is entering his sixth season as Angels bullpen catcher.  His duties include warming up bullpen pitchers and communicating with the dugout during games.

Gregorio spent 10 years in the Angels organization as a catcher.  He played for the Angels in 2003 for 12 games going 3 for 19 with two runs batted in during his short major league career before he stopped playing in 2006.

Let’s hope this group of coaches will help the Los Angeles Angels find the magic again to make the playoffs and contend for a World Series in 2016.