The Los Angeles Angels are turning to a name from their past to take the reins, but it’s not Albert Pujols.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports the team is set to name Kurt Suzuki its new manager.
A catcher, the 42-year-old Suzuki spent the final two seasons of his 16-year big league career with the Halos in 2021 and 2022.
The Wailuku, HI native has been with the organization as a special advisor since 2023.
Originally taken with a second-round pick of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft out of Cal State-Fullerton, Suzuki went on to appear in 1,635 games with the Angels, Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics.
Suzuki was an All-Star with the Twins in 2014 and was a member of the Nationals team that won the 2019 World Series.
Suzuki succeeds Ron Washington, who spent two seasons in the Angels dugout, but missed most of last season after undergoing a quadruple bypass.
The Angels currently hold the league’s longest playoff drought, having last made the postseason in 2014.
