The 100 Greatest Angels: #13 Mike Scioscia

by Rev Halofan on Feb 15, 2006 11:23 PM PST in Top 100 Angels (2005) Comment 9 comments

#13 Mike Scioscia, MGR

For tonight's installment in our countdown, Josh Mandir, co-proprietor of the Pearly Gates Blog looks at the best manager in Angels' team history. Take it away Josh...

How ironic in this recent LA-Anaheim struggle that the Angels' best manager ever was previously on pace for the same position with the Dodgers. From all accounts, he was run out of the system and the Angels swiped him up.

The Angels, meanwhile, made a common managerial change, dumping firebrand Terry Collins, for the laid back Mike Scioscia. In addition, they grabbed a former catcher and two-time World Series champion.

Scioscia has been, by a wide margin, the Angels' most successful manager. He took a team that had been an also-ran contender since the Great Collapse of 1995 and turned it into a champion and perennial contender. He has also managed widely different teams, showing that he is willing to change styles depending on what he has (the mark of a great coach). In 2000, when the comeback kids party started, the team was heavy on relief pitching and slugging. In 2001, costly injuries and a tough division (two 100 win teams; the Angels went 17-41 against division opponents and 58-46 against everyone else) led to a losing record. By 2002, the Angels were a well-balanced singles and doubles offense (only two starters had OPS+ below 100, and both of those guys were phenomenal fielders), fantastic defense, and solid pitching. Scioscia's attitude was instrumental in pulling the team up from its 6-14 start to its first World Series championship.

After another injury plagued year in 2003 (plus a major regression of starting pitchers), Scioscia led the team to their first division title since 1986. This was done almost entirely on the back of one man, Vlad the Impaler, with sluggers Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, and Garret Anderson all going down for significant time and Jose Guillen going crazy. The way the team reacted to the Guillen situation tells a lot about their trust in Scioscia and that they know he is the guy calling the shots, not any players, by coming back from three games down with a week left in the season and winning the division.

The 2005 team held the distinction of being Scioscia's worst managing job. Granted, there were significant injuries, but he seemed to make several in-game mistakes, plus he gave too much rope to Steve Finley before finally benching him. It's pretty phenomenal that the Angels have a manager who can lead his team to 95 wins, second most in franchise history in a mistake-riddled year. And that shows what he means to this team more than any other numbers: despite his worst managerial season, Scioscia's 2005 Angels got within 7 wins from a championship, something bested by only 4 Angel teams in 46.

THANKS MISTER MANDIR

Of our Top 40 Balloters, Long suffering Angel fans LIKE MIKE! cupie and yeswecan, along with Shredder were kindest to Mike. The Cupe named him #3 all-time, YWC had him 6th with Shredder Seitz close behind, naming Mike #8. Chicks may dig the longball, but dudes prefer the ring!

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My (somewhat devalued) $0.02

Mike Scioscia started his Angels tenure with a clubhouse in turmoil, the kind of rancor you never hope to see as a major league manager, let alone as a rookie manager. President Tony Tavares called the Angels clubhouse a "day-care center", stemming in part from a 70-92 record so bad that it prompted GM Bill Bavasi to resign. When Scioscia came on the scene, the Angels had no farm director, no scouting director, or coaching staff. Mo Vaughn was an injury risk, the club had lost 92 games the year before, and Disney was openly shopping the team following a claimed $50 milllion loss.

Rookie managers don't usually start out in good situations. Mike was no exception. Beating out Ken Macha and former Kansas City manager Hal McRae for the manager's chair, Scioscia became available after then-Dodger GM Fred Claire decided his lack of experience trumped his pedigree with the Dodgers, choosing Bill Russell for the interim job. Scioscia resigned, professing his wish "to explore other opportunities in the game." Bill Plaschke, whose questionable sensibility would normally preclude my quoting him, pulled a blind squirrel and called him a "messenger" of the team's decline into mediocrity. Upon his exit, Scoscia said, "True Dodger fans should see the club through these rough times. A new tradition will begin."

That new tradition was about to begin in Anaheim, with Mike the steady center at its heart. The front office, under Bill Stoneman, was building a new core of young players, trading clubhouse malcontent but fan favorite Jim Edmonds for second baseman Adam Kennedy, Bengie Molina replaced Matt Walbeck behind the plate, Darin Erstad patrolled left field, and promising third baseman Troy Glaus came into his own, leading the league in home runs in 2000. The Angels made a firm stand: no shirkers, and no mouthing off to the manager or in the press. Edmonds had been or done both, and off he went.

It was hardly wine and roses, though. The 2000 squad finished a mediocre 81-81, and when injuries and ineffectiveness caused the Angels to drop to 77-85 in 2001, there were whispers that the team might drop Scioscia as its manager when his $1 million, 3-year contract expired at the end of 2002, especially after the team's wretched 6-14 start. But the team pulled it together for the wildcard, and didn't squander the opportunity, going all the way in easily the most exciting World Series victory in the last half decade.

Scioscia himself proved his poise that offseason. After losing the first game in the ALDS to the Yankees following a questionable pitching change, he had a press conference -- and here I'm going from memory -- where he asked everyone whether they would have brought in Percival. It defused the obvious question, and with the Angels turning around and beating the Yanks three straight, it set the stage for a remarkable postseason, capped with a World Series title.

Scioscia's cemented for a long time as the Angels' manager (signed through 2009), and deservedly so. All these years, he's the guy they were waiting for, soon to be the winningest manager in team history.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

by scareduck on Feb 16, 2006 10:07 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Scioscia's Leaving the Dodgers

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Scioscia sever ties with the Dodgers during Kevin Malone's tenure as general manager? As I recall, Scioscia was managing the Dodgers' AAA affiliate at the time -- Albuquerque, perhaps? -- and became disgusted with Malone and his underlings' overruling his managerial decisions, prompting him to resign. By that time, Scioscia knew he had no future with the Dodgers and decided to pursue his future elsewhere. Not long thereafter, Bill Stoneman called (on the recommendation of special assistant/super-scout Gary Sutherland, another ex-Dodger employee). Or at least that's what I think I recall . . . .

by G Abbes on Feb 16, 2006 6:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You're right

Must've gotten confused about the timeline somehow, but Fox fired Claire June 22, 1998. It was Kevin Malone, the "new sheriff" in town who blew everything to bits. See, not everything he did was a total f*ckup!

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

by scareduck on Feb 16, 2006 8:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Another clarification

Claire did in fact bypass Scioscia for the managerial role, but it was Malone who sealed the deal and on whose watch Scioscia ultimately resigned.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

by scareduck on Feb 16, 2006 8:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Claire & Sosh

Later on, Claire gave Scioscia an assist, enthusiastically recommending him to Stoneman when Stoneman called seeking his opinion.

By the way . . . nowadays, whenever he's asked about the Angels, Claire positively gushes about Moreno, Stoneman, and Scioscia, leaving one to wonder if he isn't more an Angel fan than a Dodger fan.

by G Abbes on Feb 17, 2006 7:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dodger Traditions, Angels Jerseys

I've long been a longtime proponent of the idea that the Angels have simply sapped the better parts of the Dodgers, who find themselves floundering generally. It's not a grudge, though; I still find myself cheering for them and wishing them well, but the fact of the matter is that I'm skeptical of what Frank McCourt subtracts from the team by being a one-man wrecking crew.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

by scareduck on Feb 17, 2006 9:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dino Ebel, ex-Dodger

Another former Dodger now with the Angels is new major league third base coach Dino Ebel. Prior to managing the Angels' Salt Lake City affiliate last year . . .

"Ebel had spent the previous 17 seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a minor league player, coach and manager. Overall, Ebel has a 531-496 (.517) record as a minor league manager."

Link:

http://www.slbees.com/newsArticle.cfm?NewsID=65

by G Abbes on Feb 18, 2006 4:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Someone with deeper knowledge than I

Could probably analyze the similarities and differences between the Scioscia/Black/Madden/Griffin/Roenicke/Stoneman plus Moreno "Angel Way," and the "Dodger Way" of yesteryear....

by mattwelch on Feb 16, 2006 9:09 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ah, but which one?

Take a look at the Dodger teams of yore. Which incarnation do you want, sir? The slap-hitting 1988 Dodgers (well, save for Kirk Gibson)? The more balanced teams that won three pennants and a World Series? Or what about the late 40's and 1950's teams, which were mostly high-octane offensive squads geared toward Brooklyn's home park?

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

by scareduck on Feb 17, 2006 12:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs