Who is Johnny Washington? Everything you need to know about the new Angels' hitting coach

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Angels announced they had hired Johnny Washington as the team's new hitting coach. Washington spent the 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs as the team's assistant hitting coach.

He will join newly hired manager Ron Washington's staff as they try to break the mold in 2024. Johnny has had great success in the past in his role with the Cubs, which was a reason that he was hired.

Before his career as a coach, Johnny Washington played ball in the big leagues. He was drafted in the 27th round of the 20033 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. He played in the minor leagues and had a run in independent league baseball for seven seasons.

Taking a closer look at Johnny Washington

Los Angeles Angels v Colorado Rockies

Johnny Washington got his coaching career started in 2009 when the Los Angeles Dodgers hired him. He coached the Ogden Raptors. In 2013, he was promoted to coach the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

In 2016, he joined the San Diego Padres organization. He coached in the minors that year and was promoted to the big leagues, where he became the team's first base coach. In 2019, he was named the team's hitting coach. Washington then interviewed for the Angels' manager position in 2019 but ultimately was not picked for the job.

In 2021, Washington became the hitting coach for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO. He would spend only a year there before returning to the United States to be the hitting coach for the Cubs.

Washington will work with one of the best hitters in the game, Mike Trout. He will also work with exciting prospects like Logan O'Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel.

As an experienced coach who has moved a lot, Washington should have no trouble transitioning to the Angels.