Angels give minor league managing job to potential Mike Scioscia successor

The Los Angeles Angels quietly shuffled their minor league staff Sunday in a move that will raise some eyebrows.

The Salt Lake Bees, the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, announced Sunday that their manager, Keith Johnson, would be joining Angels manager Mike Scioscia’s big league staff effective immediately. That opens the Triple-A job for Angels special assistant and longtime Major Leaguer Eric Chavez, who will manage the Bees for the remainder of the season.

Call up! Bees Manager Keith Johnson will be joining the @Angels Major League coaching staff. Effective today, Angels Special Assistant Eric Chavez will assume managerial responsibilities for the Bees through the conclusion of the 2018 season. pic.twitter.com/9ECtBnJGCE

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) August 5, 2018

Why does this matter? The timing is certainly going to start some conversations. The move to give Chavez a pretty prominent minor league managerial position comes less than 24 hours after a report listed him as a potential successor to Scioscia, who is said to be departing the Angels after the 2018 season. Rightly or wrongly, this will be viewed by many as an effort to get Chavez some legitimate managerial experience to a potential Major League candidate, despite the fact that Scioscia has vocally denied the reports of him departing the Angels.

This will be Chavez’s first professional managerial gig. His progress will be monitored closely by many given the situation the Angels could find themselves in once the season is over.