Johnny Washington, 39, who helped break out Noh Si-hwan and Jung Eun-won with the Hanwha Eagles, will be working with Mike Trout, one of the best players in Major League Baseball (MLB).
MLBTR, which covers major MLB transfers, reported on Monday (June 19) that Washington has been named the hitting coach of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.굿모닝토토 주소
Washington had a brief stint in Korea in 2021. He coached Hanwha hitters for a year at the request of former Hanwha manager Carlos Subero. He could have made a name for himself in the big leagues, but he chose to go to Korea. Noh Si-hwan, who hadn’t quite realized his potential, broke through with 18 home runs that year. This year, he stepped it up a notch and hit 31 home runs to become the home run king. Several other hitters at the time, including second baseman Jung Eun-won and shortstop Ha Joo-seok, posted career highs.
The relationship didn’t last long. Washington moved to the MLB’s Chicago Cubs the following year, where he served as an assistant hitting coach for two years. His time with the Cubs came to an end, and he moved on to the Angels, who were entering a new regime next year. The Angels, who were led by Phil Nevin until this year, recently hired veteran Ron Washington as their new manager. There is no personal connection between the two coaches.
Hitting is another area the Angels need to address. So far this year, the Angels have centered their offense around Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but Ohtani is a free agent and is expected to be moved. Trout posted a career-low last year. It’s up to the Washington coaches to find a way to get Trout back on track and replace Ohtani. It may be a tougher task than Hanwha’s.