Angels Rumors: 9 Possible Pitching Coach Replacement Identified

Does anyone stand out?

Matt Wise, the Angels' pitching coach since 2021, accepted a job to join the White Sox in 2024. That leaves a pretty important role on the team open.

Likely, the club will need to find their manager first who will then hire a pitching coach. Below is a list of nine names that have come up through the rumor mill, per Beyond The Halo on Twitter.

The #Angels next pitching coach will depend on who they hire as manager, but a preliminary list of candidates:

Juan Nieves (DET)
Bill Murphy (HOU)
Rick Knapp (TB)
Jorge Moncada (TB)
JP Martinez (SF)
Brian Kaplan (PHI)
Jim Henderson (MIL)
Connor McGuiness (LA)
Daniel Moskos (CHC)

— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) October 26, 2023

Juan Nieves

Formerly the pitching coach of the Red Sox, he currently coaches for the Detroit Tigers Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.

During his time with the Red Sox, Nieves helped the team win a World Series in 2013. That team had one of the lowest team ERAs that year.

Bill Murphy

Bill Murphy has been the pitching coach of the Houston Astros for the last two years. In that span, the Astros have had a top-ten team ERA and won the World Series in 2022.

Rick Knapp

Most know the Tampa Bay Rays for squeezing water from a stone. They seemingly always make the playoffs with an elite rotation despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.

Rick Knapp joined Tampa Bay as their assistant pitching coach in 2022. He helped the likes of Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen become stars in this league.

J.P. Martinez

The Giants hired J.P. Martinez to be their assistant pitching coach back in 2020. He helped develop the likes of Logan Webb. Martinez also helped Kevin Gausman and Carlos Rodon pitch the best years of their careers.

Brain Kaplan

Brian Kaplan has been in the Phillies organization since 2019. His primary role was to help develop young stud Andrew Painter — a top-30 pitching prospect. The Phillies eventually hired him full-time as an assistant pitching coach.

He has also helped the Phillies reorganize and rethink how they develop pitching prospects. A useful tool to have for the Angels who could be looking to go younger with their arms.

Jim Henderson

Currently serving as the bullpen coach for the Brewers, Henderson will draw a lot of attention from other teams.

Similar to the Rays, the Brewers operate with a fairly low payroll but always have a top rotation and bullpen. 

Connor McGuinness

McGuiness has been in the Dodgers organization since 2017, and most recently served as an assistant pitching coach under Mark Prior since 2020.

The Dodgers seem to churn out young pitching talent year in and year out. Not only that, but they also help reclamation projects on one-year deals earn multi-year contracts - such as Tyler Anderson.

Daniel Moskos

The Cubs hired Moskos to be an assistant pitching coach back in 2021. The Cubs have flown under the radar as a club, but they have had some significant pitching developments since Moskos arrived.

Marcus Stroman joined the Cubs in 2022 and earned an All-Star nod this past year after a scorching hot start. Justin Steele, an up-and-coming left-hander, will earn Cy Young votes this year after posting a 3.06 ERA and striking out 176 batters.