Los Angeles Angels losing key member of coaching staff in 2021

The Angels are set to lose a member of their coaching staff for the upcoming season.

As the Angels faced a recent shift from the Mike Scioscia era to the Joe Maddon era, many new faces joined the coaching staff. A similar shift was seen in the front office with the recent firing of general manager Billy Eppler who has since been replaced by Perry Minasian. Every time there are shifts of this magnitude within an organization, things can improve if they were not already going well.

Initially, it was believed that the entire coaching staff would be returning to the Angels for the 2021 season, but now it appears that is not the case. According to Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times, Jesus Feliciano will not be returning to the coaching staff. Feliciano was hired at the beginning of the 2019 season as the team’s first base coach and outfielders coach. The 41-year-old has bounced around the minor leagues as a coach since he retired from Major League Baseball as a player in 2010. Feliciano has served as a hitting coach at multiple stops and has been a minor league manager where he was named Minor League Manager of the Year with Chicago Cubs’ High-A affiliate. Feliciano was gone from the Angels’ organization for most of the 2020 season.

While losing any coach is a big deal, the Angels may be able to bring back a notable replacement for him — someone along the lines of Angels legend Darin Erstad could work well. The Angels need someone who can particularly work well with the excellent young prospects in the system like Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh, and Jordyn Adams.

While Feliciano is gone, the good news is that the Angels will be retaining everyone else from their coaching staff. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway, bench coach Mike Gallego, and hitting coach Jeremy Reed are amongst the most notable names to be returning.

The Angels need all the constancy they can get within the organization to ensure that they are all on the same page. Young players need to see the same faces every day to continue proper development. The Angels need to make sure they make the best hires possible to hopefully continue their rapid climb to a playoff spot.