Former Angels Manager Sends Clear Message on Kurt Suzuki Hire

Oct 22, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki speaks during a press conference at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin expressed his faith in newly appointed manager Kurt Suzuki ahead of the 2026 season.

Suzuki has never served as a manager before, and received a one-year deal with the Angels for next season. His one-season timeline lines up with general manager Perry Minasian's contract, as the GM's deal also expires after 2026. He replaced Ron Washington, who was the Angels' manager for 2024 and about half of 2025 before he had to step away from the team due to health concerns.

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“There’s been a handful of guys that I’ve managed or coached where you go, I think he’s gonna be really good at (managing),” Nevin said. “Not just because they were leaders in the clubhouse. There’s a lot of guys who are leaders that wouldn’t go on to manage a team.

“...I think he’s gonna be great,” Nevin said. “He’s good with his teammates. He’s good with the staff members. He respects everybody in that building, which is important. The second you pull into the parking lot, he’s saying hello to the parking attendants, the security, the medical staff, the media. He just respects people. It’s going to make him really good in this position.”

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Suzuki has stayed around the game since his retirement, serving as a special assistant to the general manager since 2023. The former catcher spent two of his 16 MLB seasons with the Angels, finishing his career in Anaheim in 2022.

Prior to playing with the Angels, Suzuki played for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.

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The Angels are set to undergo numerous changes during the offseason, as an entirely new coaching staff will follow Suzuki in the door, and they'll need to address multiple holes in the lineup. Despite the challenge, Suzuki believes he's ready to step up as the manager.

“I'm excited, and I feel like surrounding myself with a good staff is definitely going to help,” Suzuki said. “When I played, I thought along with the game. I feel like that kind of prepared me for this. This role is to understand the game at a different level. And I feel like catching, you see the game at a different level.”

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