Kurt Suzuki was announced as the Angels’ new skipper on Oct 21, 2025. Almost a month following the end of the 2025 season. Suzuki spent 16 years in the majors, playing for five teams, including the Halos in 2021 and 2022.
Suzuki has been tasked with turning around a franchise that holds the longest playoff drought in the sport. While Suzuki has spent the last three years working closely with Angels general manager Perry Minasian as a special assistant, he has no prior professional coaching experience.
It’s a tough challenge to ask of someone so new to the position, but no surprise from the Angels to have high expectations from the get-go.
The 2026 Season So Far
As of June 7, the Halos are 25-41 and sit in last place in the AL West. Beyond their division, they have the worst record in the American League and the second-worst in MLB.
Looking at the stat sheet, the Angels have scored 291 runs so far through 66 games, putting them twelfth in the league. However, they have struck out the most of any team in the league, with 623 total strikeouts across the team.
Pitching has been up and down, with starters going 5 innings on average and striking out 329 batters. While starting pitching has not been the best in the league, it still gets the job done. The relievers, however, have been struggling, giving up 155 runs in 247 innings. They have currently given up the fourth most runs in the league.
The main bright spot is José Soriano, who won the AL Pitcher of the Month in April, finishing the month with 5 wins, a 0.84 ERA, and 49 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched. Mike Maddux has worked some magic with the starting pitchers in his first year with the Halos. But, as the past several years have shown, the Angels still need pitching help.
Will Changes Be Made?
Fans are annoyed with Kurt Suzuki and the lack of team success. Mike DiGiovanna shared his thoughts, saying, “He doesn’t quite have command of the room, and that shows in a lot of ways.” Especially after the advanced talks the team had with former Angels stars, Albert Pujols, and Torii Hunter, which eventually fell through due to suspected disagreements with team owner Arte Moreno.
After missing the playoffs for the last eleven seasons, fans want change. Not only from a managerial stance, but also an entire team rebuild with new ownership. At the moment, a managerial switch is more likely while the season is in progress.
Will the Angels move on from Kurt Suzuki? Only time will tell.
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