SOUTH JORDAN — Salt Lake’s all-time winningest manager won’t be back next year, but only because he’s getting another big league shot.
Bees manager Keith Johnson was hired this week as the Los Angeles Angels’ third-base coach for the 2026 season, the club’s first under new skipper Kurt Suzuki. Johnson briefly served as an infield coach for the Angels in 2018, and appeared in six games as a player for the team in 2000 — his only season in the big leagues.
The Angels also hired Double-A Rocket City manager Andy Schatzley to serve as the team’s infield coach, while Max Stassi — the team’s primary catcher in 2022 — will return as a catching coach, according to MLB.com.
They join three other previous hirings, including former big league pitcher Mike Maddux as the team’s new pitching coach and former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons as the new bench coach.
It’s unclear yet who will manage the Bees next year, but they will have big shoes to fill. Johnson managed the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate to 954 wins, while no other manager has reached 500 in the team’s history.
“He certainly runs a tight ship,” said the late Bees radio voice Steve Klauke, when describing Johnson in 2023. “He’s enthusiastic about the game of baseball. He’s a great teacher of the game, and I think this is the group of guys who needs that push to get them over the top.”
Salt Lake’s 2026 season will begin on March 27 at Las Vegas.