Ron Washington Backtracks Remark About Angels Being 'Not Big League Baseball Players'

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 26, 2024

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Frustration is mounting in Anaheim after the Los Angeles Angels dropped their 95th game of the season on Wednesday, which matched a franchise record shared by the 1968 and 1980 teams.

The 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox ended on Andrew Benintendi’s 10th-inning single.

It wasn't the loss that landed manager Ron Washington in hot water. It was something he said that was published in a Los Angeles Times story regarding the young players on his team who have been early call-ups with little to no minor league experience.

“We’re going to get some baseball players who may not be superstars, but they know how to play,” Washington originally said. “We forgot to bring real baseball players into the organization. Nothing against those guys here, but they’re not big-league baseball players and they certainly can’t help us win a championship.”

On Thursday, he walked it back.

Ron Washington made this notable comment to the @latimes, in a story posted yesterday.

Today he said, "I misspoke. I didn't mean it the way it came out, where I'm saying the organization isn't giving me big league players. It's players that have to grow into big league players." pic.twitter.com/93V8VAHPUv

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 26, 2024

"I misspoke," he told Sam Blum of The Athletic. "I didn't mean it the way it came out, where I'm saying the organization isn't giving me big league players. It's players that have to grow into big league players.”

Washington hasn't shied away from the harsh reality of this season. He has criticized his team when needed and has called out the organization for the caliber of 26-man roster talent — or the lack thereof.

At the same time, Washington has praised the addition of young arms to both the rotation and the bullpen and stressed that much more work is needed overall, especially with a farm system ranked last in baseball, according to FanGraphs.

The Angels are limping toward Sunday's finish line and will look ahead to next season on Monday.

“It’s championship or bust,” Washington said. “It’s not OK to win 65 games this year and then 75 the next. That ain’t the kind of increments I’m planning on.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs. Coming back next year, over the winter, expectations will be risen. And those that can’t meet the expectations will not be around.”

With the young core of Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe bought into Washington's old-school philosophy, those expectations might not be too lofty.

“I learned a lot this year,” Schanuel said. “We finished a big-league season and played like a big-league clubhouse. We will have a great team in the next year or two, and it all starts now.”