ANGELS FIGURED IT OUT
Moreno’s mandate to Scioscia, Dipoto leads to harmony, title
The rumors spread rapidly that someone had to go.
If it wasn’t the general manager, surely the manager was going to have to be fired if they were ever going to win again.
Well, the news conference that was widely speculated finally happened Monday, but in Atlanta, where Braves GM Frank Wren was fired.
Oh, and that firing that was supposed to happen in Anaheim?
Sorry, Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno was too busy wiping the champagne from his eyes after the Angels clinched the American League West, singing the praises of GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia instead of firing anyone.
Funny what a little patience can do in baseball.
One year after showing signs of organizational disconnect, the Angels are headed to the playoffs
for the first time in five years, boasting baseball’s finest record.
Moreno, 67, California’s version of late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner with his fiery competitiveness, made his greatest move this season by simply making no move.
“Arte is so competitive,” Dipoto says. “He’s so invested in this club, and he’s all about winning. The standard he holds, me and everyone else in the organization, is doing the right thing.
“And winning. He’s not in it for any financial reward. He’s in it for the jewelry.”
Oh sure, Moreno was infuriated by the Angels’ results a year ago, when they staggered to a 7884 record, their worst performance in a decade.
He was miffed his GM and manager weren’t getting along. And was he ever frustrated.
Yet just when everyone was trying to figure out which man was going to be fired, Moreno kept both, with the duo leading the Angels back to the postseason in search of Moreno’s first World Series title as owner.
“Arte pretty much told both of us,” Dipoto recalls, “‘I believe in you. And I believe in you. Now go figure it out.’ ”
Scioscia, who told USA TODAY Sports he met with Moreno and Angels President John Carpino after the season, trying to establish guidelines, came away convinced he and Dipoto could have a solid working relationship.
Sure, maybe you’re never going to convince Scioscia advanced metrics will replace what he sees with his own eyes. And maybe Di- poto thinks analytics are more invaluable than simple batting average and ERA.
Yet after meeting during the offseason with a full-scale summit of the front office and coaching staff in January, they truly believed they could co-exist and, yes, even win a championship.
“All of us had some very candid meetings after the season,” Scioscia says. “Talking with Arte and John Carpino, I think there was some real clarity outlined as to where we felt we could go and what we needed to do.
“That got the offseason more focused, and he had the confidence in Jerry and I to be able to accomplish that. And I’ve always loved the passion Arte has. He has high expectations, but he backs up those expectations for our club by giving us the tools to reach those expectations.”
It was spending $240 million on Albert Pujols and $77.5 million on starter C.J. Wilson one year. Spending $125 million on Josh Hamilton the next. Expending a franchise-record $161.9 mil- lion on payroll this year.
But since they weren’t winning, well, it seemed someone would have to pay a price.
Moreno, who says he has watched every single pitch of every Angels game this season — in person or via TV or iPad — knew everyone anticipated him making an impetuous decision last year. Yet he thought he had one of the finest managers in the game. He thought he made the right choice in hiring Dipoto, and it would be unfair to fire him after two years.
Sure, Scioscia and Dipoto butted heads and had different philosophies, but he told them that, whether they liked it or not, they had better get along or they’d both be looking for work after the season. Now, go win a championship. “We sat down with both of those guys,” Moreno told USA TODAY Sports. “The best thing is to surround yourself with the best people available, and I thought we had those guys. We weren’t in a situation we were trying to be negative. We just asked what we can do to improve to get to the promised land.”
Moreno could have fired Scioscia, who’s under contract through 2018, but couldn’t in his heart blame him for the Angels’ second losing season in four years. It wasn’t his fault Pujols got hurt, Hamilton’s bat went AWOL and he had an unreliable bullpen.
“If you look at his numbers, his numbers are unbelievable,” Moreno says of Scioscia. “It’s really hard to make a quick decision on what I consider is a long-term commitment. I have a good relationship with Mike and know his family. He’s good with players and fans. We just had some players that were hurt and others that didn’t perform like we expected.”
Dipoto, meanwhile, hardly had time to put his stamp on the organization.
“One of the reasons we hired Jerry is I really liked the way he viewed baseball analytics,” Moreno says. “I didn’t think he had enough time to rebuild a minor league system and make adjustments, not just with our 25-man roster but our entire system. I believed he deserved to come back.”
It was left to Dipoto and Scioscia to make it work.
Dipoto, who never met Scioscia until his introductory news conference two years ago, really started to get to know his manager last offseason. They shared philosophies. Talked ideas. And finally came to an understanding.
“If we were at A and Z before,” Dipoto said, “I think we found a way to get to L and M. It just took time for us to all adjust. And along the way, we’ve gotten to know each other better. I like Mike personally, so we never had any issues getting along in that regard. We just had different ideas. We just made sure we communicated more frequently.
“We talked baseball and walked baseball. We got on the same page and never varied from it. Mike and his staff did an unbelievable job keeping everyone together, getting guys to seemingly rise up out of nowhere.”
Indeed, the team’s success has been as much about the emergence of starter Matt Shoemaker, reliever Mike Morin, designated hitter C.J. Cron and outfielder Collin Cowgill as it has been the sustained brilliance of Mike Trout or Pujols’ revival.
Scioscia accepted some of the analytics thrown his way, and the Angels have employed more defensive shifts than at any time in the past. Dipoto listened to Scioscia and remodeled the bullpen, making shrewd trades and signing Joe Smith to become their invaluable setup man.
Voila, a division title and likely the best record in the majors.
“Arte gave us some time,” Dipoto says, “and hopefully we’re repaying him with a little joy.”
Yes, a start, Moreno says. One celebration down, three to go.
“What we’ve done is a really nice accomplishment,” Moreno says, “but the reality is that we’re looking for that gold ring. You always used to hear and read that (Steinbrenner) always wanted to win it for their fans.
“Well, I feel the same way. The way I figure it, it’s time.”