The MLB Playoffs are once again upon us in another season without legal California sports betting. The Los Angeles Angels once again missed out on the sport’s postseason after stumbling to a 73-89 record and a fourth-place finish in the AL West. That bumbling finish ultimately cost manager Phil Nevin his job, with the former All-Star first baseman getting shown the door the L.A.’s front office after a 109-149 (.422) record with the club.
Whoever replaces Nevin will be the Angels’ fourth manager since longtime leader Mike Scioscia parted ways with the club in 2018, leaving more questions than answers about the future leadership of the franchise in 2024 and beyond. With Nevin officially out as the Angels’ manager, BetCalifornia.com has constructed hypothetical odds - odds you wouldn't on California betting apps once they are legal- on who might replace him.
Angels Next Manager Odds
Slew of Former MLB Players Lead List to Replace Nevin
Of the top five candidates to replace Nevin in Anaheim, three are former MLB players, including 14-year utility infielder Walt Weiss and 2021 NL Manager of the Year Gabe Kapler. The other two, in Joe Espada of the Houston Astros and Clayton McCullough of the L.A. Dodgers, have been around the league for long periods of time and bring experience coaching two of the league’s most successful teams.
Ray Montgomery represents an in-house option for owner Arte Moreno and his search team, with the 54-year-old former Astros player previously serving as an area scout for the Milwaukee Brewers, in addition to stops as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ scouting director and Angels’ director of player personnel.
We see Espada as the leading candidate to replace Nevin, however, given his steady rise from Minor League hitting coach with the Marlins to third base coach with the Yankees and the Astros’ bench coach — where he’s served since 2017. Espada has previously interviewed for managerial openings with the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs and should be a hot commodity this offseason after Houston reeled off another AL West title in 2023.
That’s why Espada is our leading candidate for the Angels’ job, at +425, followed by McCullough (+500) and Kapler (+650), with the former hitting the open market after being let go by the Giants after a disappointing 78-81 run with San Francisco this season. We’ll know more about who replaces Nevin on the Angels’ bench in the coming weeks, though for now, it seems like a pair of longtime field coaches could very well replace Nevin as the team’s next leader.
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