Kurt Suzuki gets 1-year deal as Angels manager, 'born to do this' - ESPN

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kurt Suzuki is taking over the Los Angeles Angels as a first-time manager with a monumental task before him — and perhaps a very limited amount of time to show progress.

Suzuki got just a one-year contract when he became the Angels' sixth manager in the past eight seasons, general manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday.

Minasian also has one year left on his deal with the Angels, who are mired in a stretch of 10 straight losing seasons after finishing 72-90 last month.

«He's tied in with me,» Minasian said of Suzuki, the longtime catcher who served as Minasian's special assistant for the past three seasons after his retirement from a 16-year playing career.

Neither man expressed any worries about the brief window given to the 42-year-old Suzuki, who will be learning his vast new job under unusual pressure. Suzuki's contract appears to be another unique decision by Angels owner Arte Moreno, whose team hasn't made the playoffs since 2014 or had a winning season since 2015.

Minasian and Suzuki both said they feel urgency to end the Angels' decade-long drought, no matter how long their contracts might be.

«I make a joke of it, but I feel like I've been playing on one-year deals my whole career,» Suzuki said. «I feel like I had to prove myself every single year I played this game.… I'm here because I want to lead this team. I'm here because I want to help these players. I want to do good for this city and this organization.»

Suzuki teared up while thanking his wife and three children, who were seated in the front row of his news conference at Angel Stadium, where he played his final two major league seasons before moving into the team's front office.

Suzuki was chosen by Minasian from a field of candidates