3 questions Angels fans need answers to before hiring Albert Pujols as manager

With reports that Perry Minasian and Albert Pujols have officially met, the prospect of the future Hall of Famer stepping into the vacant Angels managerial hole is inching closer to a reality. Of course, this is the Angels, so anything could still happen, but if Pujols does take the reins there are some common questions flying around the fandom that need answering.

3 questions Angels fans need answers to before hiring Albert Pujols as manager

Isn’t this just one more headline-grabbing, money-grubbing Arte Moreno move?

Short answer – yes. But does it matter?

Hiring Pujols is precisely the kind of move Arte loves to make. It’ll provide a major distraction from everything else going on with the Angels this offseason, primarily the Tyler Skaggs civil trial. It’s a throwback to the “glory days”, right in line with the Calling All Angels video (even if Moreno’s own appearance in that was short-lived). Even though Pujols was a big part of the beginning of the Angels current slump, he did provide some big milestone moments while he was here. It’s potentially a cheap move, as there will be negotiations around how much of Pujol’s salary might be already be covered by his $1million annual personal services contract. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Moreno recycled the old banner of Pujol’s face and hung it out by the Big Hats once again.    

So yes, it’s a pure Arte move: bold, brash and flashy…but that doesn’t necessarily make it wrong.

It’s hard to remember now, but signing Pujols as a player wasn’t a terrible idea. Neither (and this is really stretching credulity, but it’s true) was signing Anthony Rendon. Both were coming off World Series heroics, had terrific track records, and filled a team need. The facts that Pujol’s decline came far faster than expected, and that Rendon stands alone as the worst contract in Angel’s history could not, in fairness, have been predicted in the moment. And surely Arte is well overdue to get another major decision right…right?

Do Hall of Fame Players even make decent managers?

From the early days of professional baseball, star players have moved to managing on a regular basis – often doing both jobs at the same time. That list includes such names as Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Ted Williams and Yogi Berra. The last player-manager in the big leagues was Pete Rose, and we know how that story went. But in terms of recent players who sat both in Cooperstown and the managers seat, two useful comparisons are Paul Molitor (Twins, 2015-2018) and Frank Robinson (multiple teams, 1975-2006). Molitor is notable for his recency, and Robinson for certain similarities to Pujols as a player, and how quickly he switched from player to manager. Robinson, in fact, was traded from the then California Angels to the then Cleveland Indians in 1974, in part because of his stated desire to become MLB’s first Black manager.

Both had mixed results in their new roles. Molitor won AL Manager of the Year in 2017, after taking the 103-loss Twins to the postseason, but was then fired in October 2018 and ended his managerial career with a .471 winning percentage.

Robinson’s career lasted far longer, taking him from Cleveland to San Francisco to Baltimore and finally Montreal, where he remained in charge as the Expos relocated to become the Washington Nationals. He won over 1000 games as a manager, at a .475 rate, picking up the AL Manager of the Year along the way, with the Orioles in 1989. However, he never made it to the playoffs, and was voted “Worst Manager in MLB” twice in a Sports Illustrated player’s poll.

Despite the differences, one thing stands out – since Mike Sciosia retired, only Joe Maddon in 2021 had a higher win percentage (.475) than either, over a full season as an Angel's manager. (Ironically, both Maddon (2022) and Washington (2025) had higher partial-season percentages before their premature departures.)  

So even a Molitor-like career, turning an underperforming team into playoff contenders over a season or two, would be a massive improvement. At this stage, the Angels have tried everything else, so why not Albert?

Does Pujols even want the job?

This is probably the only question that really matters. On the one hand, Pujols has made it clear he wants to manage in the Majors, sooner rather than later. There are only 30 such jobs available, ever, and to have the inside track on one of them this quickly, and this clearly, may be an irresistible opportunity.

On the other hand, he also has the chance to manage the Dominican Republic through the next World Baseball Classic, a role he would likely have to give up if he was back in MLB.

It’s also worth noting that his recent meeting with Perry Minasian took place in St Louis. It’s been an ongoing surprise to many that Oliver Marmol still has a job managing the Cardinals, but he is heading into the final year of his contract. It really isn’t hard to imagine Pujols biding his time, leading his country into the WBC, and returning to the scene of his greatest triumphs in 2027. He’s already a folk hero in St Louis, and all of the factors that make him appealing to the Angels are arguably amplified for the Cardinals. Even Yadier Molina, rumoured to be Pujol's top pick as a major part of any coaching staff he puts together, might have a role to play in enticing him back to Busch.

There’s also the question of would he want to manage in this organisation. Both sides have been careful to say that any bad blood between Pujols and Minasian for the way things ended in Anaheim has washed away, but stains like that have a tendency to resurface during contract negotiations. He might seem like a breath of fresh air right now, but Pujols has seen firsthand how quickly the mood can change in Anaheim, and how much sway Moreno has the way things are run.