The pros and cons Ron Washington brings to the table as the new Angels manager

For weeks we had no idea what the Los Angeles Angels were going to do at the manager position. The team parted ways with Phil Nevin following another disappointing year and had a massive list of candidates to sift through. The Angels considered experienced managers like Buck Showalter and Ron Roenicke and also considered several inexperienced managers including Angels legends Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, and Torii Hunter.

Eventually, the Angels settled on Ron Washington to be the team's skipper for the 2024 season. Washington is well known in the baseball world, most notably for his role in the movie Moneyball, his role as the manager of the Rangers, and most recently the third base coach of the Braves.

This is an exciting hire for Angels fans after watching Phil Nevin look overmatched at times while in charge. Washington certainly knows what he's doing, and is sure to be an upgrade over what they had. There's a lot to like about the hire, but there's also one thing that makes it far from a slam dunk.

Ron Washington is a proven manager, beloved by many, and should help the LA Angels defensively a ton

There aren't many figures in baseball more beloved than Ron Washington. "He's everything you could want, he deserves the opportunity," said Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "He's excited. Obviously, I'm excited for him. It's a huge loss for us. I emphasize that in caps, bold, italicized, all of it. Huge void. But I had six years with him, and I can't imagine I'll be around a guy like that in my entire career."

Washington being as impactful as he was as a third base coach should have Angels fans excited to see what he can do in a larger role. He helped Atlanta become one of the best defensive teams in baseball, and is sure to have a similar impact for this Angels team that struggled defensively in 2023.

Washington has been through just about everything, and can help guide young players through any situation. He's deserved another shot after leading Texas to back-to-back AL Pennants a little over a decade ago. It'll be exciting to see how things shape up with Washington here.