After finishing with a 3.77 collective ERA in 2022 (the ninth-best in MLB), the Los Angeles Angels regressed to 4.64 in 2023.
That was the eighth-worst mark in all baseball and a huge step back considering the gains the franchise made last season.
Matt Wise has been the Angels’ pitching coach since the 2021 campaign, but his tenure in LA will come to an end as he came to an agreement to join the Chicago White Sox, per reports.
“Matt Wise, the Angels’ pitching coach since 2021 and a member of the team’s staff since 2020, will be the new White Sox bullpen coach, sources tell me and @SamBlum3,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal tweeted.
A major update on the Angels pitching situation. https://t.co/hITwQMaO0C
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) October 26, 2023
Whether the move is good or bad for LA and Chicago remains to be seen: sometimes, a coach doesn’t have too much success in one place only to thrive in another location, with different surroundings and resources.
Still, Angels fans in the replies of that post are celebrating the move.
The Angels’ pitching woes shouldn’t be blamed entirely on Wise.
The pitchers themselves are also responsible of their own development and, above all things, the front office and ownership haven’t always put the best tools in place for them to succeed nor have they fostered the healthiest workplace.
Only time will tell if Wise can have success but going from pitching coach to bullpen coach somewhere else speaks about his desire (or lack thereof) to be with the Angels.
Wise was an MLB pitcher from 2000 to 2008.
He had a 4.23 career ERA as a major league hurler, retiring in 2009.
He became the Angels’ bullpen coach in 2020.
A year later, he was promoted to pitching coach.
He should help the White Sox staff from his own experience as a reliever and as a coach.
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