The Angels are making more history by assembling one of the most diverse staffs in Major League Baseball, just two weeks after they hired Ron Washington, the first Black manager in the team’s history.
As of right now, the Angels have at least four Black coaches on their staff thanks to the hiring of Bo Porter, Johnny Washington, and Eric Young Sr.
Barry Enright, a former pitcher for the Angels and current assistant pitching coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was signed by the team to serve as pitching coach beginning in 2024, making him the youngest coach on the staff at 37 years old.
The age range within this group is another illustration of diversity, which follows Enright’s addition. Young Sr. and Ron Washington are the only staff members who are older than 70, but Bo Porter is 51 and Johnny Washington and Enright are both younger than 40, so this group may have a good mix of traditional and modern baseball tactics.
One thing that unites Ron Washington’s staff—which is among the most inclusive and diverse in baseball—is that each member is a brilliant baseball mind with a wealth of experience.
In addition to being a longtime coach and former player, Young Sr. is also the father of Eric Young Jr., a former Angels player who was Mike Trout’s 2017 and 2018 teammate.
Porter played from 1999 to 2001 for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s, and Texas Rangers; Enright was a pitcher for the Angels in 2012 and 2013. In addition, Porter has been a coach since 2007. From 2013 to 2014, he managed the Houston Astros against Ron Washington.
Even though the Angels’ roster isn’t quite full yet, I anticipate that they will keep adding more well-rounded players to this clubhouse. Starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval supported Benji Gil for the open manager position prior to the Angels hiring Washington, so it’s possible that the team will reassign Gil to his current position as infield coach now that the Padres have a new manager.
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