SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former Angels and Rangers manager Ron Washington is returning to the Bay Area to become infield coach for the San Francisco Giants on new manager Tony Vitello's staff.
Washington worked for nearly two decades in the same role for the Oakland Athletics, developing many stars with his detailed work hours before the first pitch.
“We are working out the logistics. I have agreed to join the Giants,” Washington told The Associated Press in a text message Thursday. “I get a chance to continue to make a difference.”
The 73-year-old Washington took a leave of absence from the Angels last season with his team at 36-38 to undergo quadruple-bypass heart surgery, and Los Angeles then moved forward at the end of the year by hiring Kurt Suzuki as its manager.
Washington had expressed his desire to be back on the field for 2026 once healthy. He was the oldest manager in the majors during his two seasons guiding the Angels, who hired him in November 2023. In 2024, Los Angeles went 63-99 for the worst finish in franchise history after the free-agency departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Angles have missed the playoffs the past 11 seasons, with 10 straight losing seasons — both the longest active streaks in the majors.
Washington managed Texas from 2007-2014. He brings decades of knowledge and expertise to the staff of Vitello, the former University of Tennessee coach who has no professional playing or coaching experience.
Before managing the Rangers, Washington was a longtime infield coach for the Oakland Athletics, credited with helping develop players like six-time Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez.
Washington was known to arrive early and toss short-hop grounders from his knees to help groom some of the game's great infielders before they were stars.
From Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Chavez and Mark Ellis to Marcus Semien, Washington helped shape them all on and off the diamond — “Mark McGwire, I turned him into a great leader,” Washington once said.
Chavez even gave Washington one of his six straight Gold Glove awards earned from 2001-06.
“I watched many young kids come through here and grow, I watched many baseball players that the industry thought were through come through here and blossom and get deeper contracts for their careers,” Washington said in July 2024 during the final A's season in the Oakland Coliseum. “The tradition here in Oakland, I just saw it kept passing down and kept passing down. I’ve had a great 17 years here.”
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