ANAHEIM, Calif. - Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels' manager Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace longtime skipper Mike Scioscia.
General manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as Eppler's special assistant last season after four years as the Detroit Tigers' manager.
Ausmus got a three-year contract with the Angels. He will be introduced today at Angel Stadium.
Scioscia had held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels' only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories.
But after finishing 80-82 for the second consecutive year, the Angels are coming off three straight losing seasons overall for the first time since 1992-94. Los Angeles has played only three playoff games in the past nine seasons, losing them all in 2014 after winning the AL West.
While both men had lengthy careers as big league catchers, the 49-year-old Ausmus likely represents a philosophical shift from Scioscia, who was widely perceived as an old-school manager despite his public embrace of new baseball mentalities.
After Scioscia's departure three weeks ago, Eppler said he wanted the Angels' 17th manager to be well-versed in analytics and probability-based decision-making. Ausmus was not known to be thoroughly reliant on data during his up-and-down tenure in Detroit, but he clearly sold Eppler and owner Arte Moreno on his willingness to evolve into the modern manager the Angels want.
Ausmus played 18 major league seasons with four franchises as a catcher.