As one court case ends, another will hang over the Angels this entire season

The scandal that rocked Baseball to start last season reached at least an initial conclusion last week, when Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, assistant, and friend, was sentenced in Orange County for defrauding the superstar of millions of dollars. Mizuhara was given 57 months in prison, with three years’ supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $18 million to Ohtani and the IRS; something that even the judge conceded was unlikely to happen. As reported by The Athletic’s Angels beat writer Sam Blum:

"Mizuhara also spoke briefly at the sentencing, apologizing to Ohtani, his family, the Dodgers and the United States government. He told the judge “I beg your mercy, and I promise I will make the most of it.” "

Sam Blum

No mention of any apology to the Angels, despite most of the fraud occurring while he was their employee, or to the Angels fans who took him to their hearts.

It brings to an end a saga which started last March, as the Dodgers were playing the opening series of the season in Korea. It was the start of weeks of speculation and innuendo around Ohtani’s role, but as revelations rolled out of how much effort Mizuhara had put into the fraud – and how much money he’d taken out of it – it descended into a sad tale of addiction and betrayal. The fact that all of this, as well as his own injury rehab, was hanging over Ohtani in 2024 makes his MVP and championship winning season even more astonishing.

Sadly, it won’t be the last time the Angels are linked to a court case this year. The multi-million dollar civil case brought against the team by the family of Tyler Skaggs is due, after innumerable delays, to finally be heard in September.   

Originally filed on June 29th, 2021, the case was set for October, 2023. Arguments on both sides, mainly around discovery obligations (simply put - who has to provide what evidence to whom) have pushed that back. The most recent delay extended an already re-scheduled start date of April 7th.

The suit alleges that Skaggs' death from a fentanyl overdose on July 1st, 2019 was the result of negligence within the Angels organization (to over-simplify things again, the case will hinge on who knew what and when). Depositions were due to take place in January with several team employees, including Mike Trout. Eric Kay, formerly the team’s communications director, is currently serving a 22-year sentence for providing the fatal drugs.

Under California law, civil cases must be heard within five years of being filed, or risk being dismissed:

"The Skaggs family attorneys have accused the Angels of purposefully pushing back depositions in an effort to reach the five-year mark, a concern that Skaggs family attorney Rusty Hardin reiterated in court. Angels attorney Kevin Yopp told the court, however, that both sides want to get this case to trial as soon as possible"

Sam Blum

It’s a tragic note that the disease of addiction lies at the heart of both Skaggs and Mizuhara's case, and that neither the Angels or the wider Baseball community are alone in needing to ask hard questions about how they handle that uniquely human condition.

If the latest September 22nd start date stands, it would coincide with the Angel’s final off-day of the regular season, leading into a 6-game home-stand against the Royals and Astros. Should the Halos defy expectations and make the postseason, there’s every chance that yet another legal drama involving the Angels could overshadow even the bright lights of October baseball.

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