ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels’ manager Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace the longtime skipper, Mike Scioscia.
General Manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as Eppler’s special assistant last season after four years as the Detroit Tigers’ manager.
Ausmus got a three-year contract with the Angels. He will be introduced Monday at Angel Stadium.
Scioscia held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels’ only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories.
But after finishing 80-82 for the second consecutive year, the Angels are coming off three straight losing seasons for the first time since 1992-94. Los Angeles has played only three postseason games in the past nine seasons, losing them all in 2014 after winning the AL West.
While both men had lengthy careers as big league catchers, the 49-year-old Ausmus likely represents a philosophical shift from Scioscia, who was widely perceived as an old-school manager despite his public embrace of new baseball mentalities.
After Scioscia’s departure three weeks ago, Eppler said he wanted the Angels’ 17th manager to be well-versed in analytics and probability-based decision-making. Ausmus was not known to be thoroughly reliant on data during his up-and-down tenure in Detroit.
REDS: David Bell was hired as manager, tasked with helping turn around a team that skidded to a 67-95 record and last-place finish in the NL Central.
The Reds said he’s been given a three-year contract that includes a team option for 2022. Bell, a 46-year-old Cincinnati native, will be introduced at a news conference Monday.
The Reds fired Bryan Price after a 3-15 start, and Jim Riggleman was interim manager for the rest of the season.
Bell was a minor league manager for the Reds from 2009-12, became the Chicago Cubs’ third-base coach in 2013, St. Louis’ assistant hitting coach the following year and the Cardinals’ bench coach for the next three years. He was San Francisco’s vice president of player development last season.
ASTROS: Second baseman Jose Altuve had surgery on his right knee, one day after Houston was eliminated by Boston in the AL Championship Series.
Altuve was the AL MVP in 2017, when he hit a major league-leading .346 with 24 homers and 81 RBI as the Astros won their first World Series title.
He was on the disabled list for the first time this year, missing 21 games while sidelined from July 28 to Aug. 21. Altuve hit .316 with 13 homers and 61 RBI, and Manager AJ Hinch said the six-time All-Star was playing pretty much on one leg during the postseason.
Altuve batted .250 with two RBI in the five-game loss to the Red Sox, who will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
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