Albert Pujols Has Met With the Angels About Their Managerial Opening

[ad_1] Albert Pujols has met with the Los Angeles Angels about returning to their dugout as their subsequent supervisor, an individual with information of the assembly advised The Related Press on Friday.

The particular person spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of the Angels aren't publicly discussing their seek for a successor to Ron Washington, who wasn't introduced again after two seasons.

Pujols met with basic supervisor Perry Minasian in St. Louis, and the long-lasting slugger seems to be the present front-runner to take over the Angels in what could be his first in-season main league teaching job of any form.

Angels proprietor Arte Moreno has remained keen on Pujols, who performed first base and designated hitter for the Angels from 2012 to 2021 after Moreno signed him away from the Cardinals with a $254 million free agent contract.

Pujols retired after the 2022 season. His 22-year enjoying profession included 703 homers and a couple of,218 RBIs, together with three NL MVP awards and two World Collection rings gained in St. Louis.

Pujols' take care of the Angels included a private companies contract after his enjoying profession ended, and the 45-year-old Pujols has been an offseason teacher within the Angels group over the previous three years.

Since his retirement, Pujols has placed on an Angels uniform and labored with gamers at every of their previous three spring trainings. He additionally coached gamers on the Angels’ academy in his native Dominican Republic.

Pujols has managed within the Dominican Winter League, and he's slated to be the Dominican Republic’s supervisor on the World Baseball Basic subsequent 12 months.

The Angels are searching for their fifth full-time supervisor in eight seasons to switch Washington, who was dismissed final month. The 73-year-old supervisor missed the second half of his second season in cost whereas recovering from quadruple bypass coronary heart surgical procedure, with interim supervisor Ray Montgomery filling in.

The Angels have had common upheaval of their dugout and nothing however shedding seasons since Mike Scioscia's departure after the 2018 season. No supervisor has lasted three full years since Scioscia's 19-season tenure ended.

The Athletic first reported the Angels’ assembly with Pujols.

Pujols ought to absolutely perceive the depth of the problem he's enterprise: Los Angeles’ streaks of 10 straight shedding seasons and 11 straight non-playoff seasons are the longest within the majors, and each started throughout his enjoying profession.

Pujols really performed on three successful groups throughout his first 4 seasons in Anaheim, and he was a key element of the Angels’ final playoff workforce in 2014 alongside Mike Trout, who could be working beneath his longtime pal if Pujols is employed.

The Angels traded Pujols to the Dodgers early within the last season of his 10-year contract, and he completed his enjoying profession with one season again in St. Louis in 2022.

Though Minasian has assembled a modestly thrilling younger core led by shortstop Zach Neto and outfielder Jo Adell, the workforce has proven few indicators of rising from its decade of profound battle beneath Moreno's stewardship.

The Angels misplaced Shohei Ohtani in free company earlier than Washington's first season in cost, and so they subsequently gained solely 63 video games throughout the worst season in franchise historical past. The present workforce improved to 72-90, however nonetheless had its second straight last-place end within the AL West.

Pujols will hope to affix the minuscule ranks of famous person gamers who additionally managed to change into profitable coaches or managers.

Baseball stars historically have struggled to copy their enjoying success within the dugout, with Corridor of Famers from Ted Williams and Frank Robinson to Paul Molitor and Alan Trammell all having fun with solely modest success as managers.

Pujols will probably be eligible for the Corridor of Fame in 2028.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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