According to multiple sources, the Los Angeles Angels have hired Perry Minasian to be their new general manager. Minasian has been the Atlanta Braves assistant general manager for the last three seasons under GM Alex Anthopolous. The 40-year old baseball lifer continues the franchise’s trend of hiring first-time general managers. The Angels general manager position has been empty since Billy Eppler was fired in late September. There has been no official word from the team regarding Minasian’s hire.
Perry Minasian
To say that Perry Minasian comes from a baseball family would be an understatement. His father worked for the Texas Rangers for many years. Plus, his brothers have all worked in baseball as well. His brother Zack is the San Francisco Giants pro scouting director. And, his brother Calvin works for the Washington Nationals as a minor-league clubhouse and equipment manager.
Minasian started as a batboy for the Rangers before he spent time as a clubhouse attendant and advance scout during the Buck Showalter years. From there Minasian went to the Toronto Blue Jays organization where he worked his way up to director of pro scouting. His last stop was in Atlanta. He was hired by former GM John Coppolella before he was banned from baseball for rules violations. Yet, his former boss was hired by the Braves to take over. Anthopolous immediately promoted Minasian to be his second-in-command.
The New GM
The first thing you see when you look at the Atlanta Braves is their talent. The Braves have used every avenue available to get the best players for their organization. Minasian was a big part of that. The one thing he will have to do, and quickly, is fine ways to bolster the Angels depth. Although much has been said about Arte Moreno’s hands-on approach, the only way Minasian will be successful is by constructing a better minor league pipeline for the club. This will not be easy, especially given Moreno’s history of cutting corners.
Perry Minasian takes over a club that went 26-34 in 2020. Furthermore, it’s a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2014. And time isn’t on his side. The last three general managers each lasted four years.
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