LA Angels coaching staff breakdown

LA Angels First Base Coach: Benji Gil

Benji Gil is the first base coach for the LA Angels. He was previously the manager of the Mexican National team at the last Summer Olympics. Before that, he coached in the LMB (Mexican Baseball League). He coached the Mariachis de Guadalajara, where he was the first manager in their history.

He was Manager of the Year for that league that year--the first season in that club's history. Gil played the game for a decent while--totaling eight years in the Big Leagues. All were in the AL West. Half were with the Rangers, and half were with the Angels.

He played shortstop, second base, and first base in the Bigs. He was easily the better player with the Halos than Texas. Not only did he win a World Series Championship with the organization, but he had a season to remember the year before in 2001. He hit .296/.330/.477 (.807 OPS) and recorded a 109 OPS+.

The Angels could use that offense in the middle infield these days, but at least they have him around to mentor guys and help develop. Gil is just 49 too--he's got plenty of time to keep adding to his resume as a coach.