Former Catcher Turned Coach Leaves Dodgers For New Gig With Angels

Ron Washington has been attempting to flip the proverbial script since taking over as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels.

A charismatic and energetic guy, Washington has been busy revamping the coaching staff with the goal of creating a group heavy on development.

One area in need of improvement is hitting. Collectively speaking, the ballclub hasn't always been competitive with at-bats over the last handful of years. A lack of patience at the plate has reared its ugly head. Instead of grinding out at-bats and working for walks/to get on base, there was a penchant for swinging early in counts. The approach across the team needs to change, and Washington knows that.

The Angels have also hired Tim Laker as offensive coordinator. He will work with hitting coach Johnny Washington. He was the Dodgers minor league hitting coordinator last year.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) November 21, 2023

As such, Washington made the shrewd move of bringing Tim Laker onto his staff as an offensive coordinator. For over a decade, Laker bounced around the Major Leagues primarily as a backup catcher. When his playing career ended, he got involved in the world of coaching.

After multiple years toiling away as a minor league coach, the Diamondbacks gave him his first MLB coaching gig as an assistant hitting coach in 2017. This led to Laker's biggest role in 2019 when he was hired to be Seattle's hitting coach. He held this position for three years before leaving.

Most recently, he had been working for the Dodgers as the team's minor league hitting coordinator.

Busy day on the coaching carousel:
Tim Laker, runner-up for the Angels’ hitting coach job, is hired as their offensive coordinator
Barry Enright hired as the Angels pitching coach.
Brad Ausmus hired as the Yankees bench coach.
Andrew Bailey hired as the Red Sox pitching coach.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 22, 2023

As reported by Bob Nightengale, Laker was the runner-up to be the Angels' hitting coach. Despite losing out to Johnny Washington, Laker was still pursued to be a member of this staff.

Coming from a franchise firmly rooted in the development of young players, it makes total sense as to why Washington would've wanted Laker on the team in some capacity.

For Laker, it's another chance at coaching at the highest level. A native of Southern California, it also gives him the opportunity to come back home.