Scioscia's coaching tree continues to grow

By Mark Gubicza
FOX Sports West & PRIME TICKET

With former Angels coaches Bud Black in San Diego and Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay, yet another Angels coach was poached when Ron Roenicke agreed to become manager of the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.�

That�s now 10 percent of the big league managers hired off of Mike Scioscia�s Angel staffs.

There are reasons for that.

The Angels have been successful during Scioscia�s tenure, as the organization has committed to minimizing mistakes and putting pressure on the other team by being aggressive, which forces the opposition into making mistakes. This season Ron Washington opted to manage the Rangers in much the same way as he saw the Angels do so often when he was a coach with the Oakland A�s from 1996-2006.

The Rays and Yankees�saw a lot of that aggressiveness this postseason with the Rangers' display of antlers and claws given out for their offensive play and speed on the base paths.

Sure, that aggressiveness might make you look silly from time to time when you get thrown out at home or going from first to third, but most of the time you will be successful.� Most importantly, you continue to put pressure on the defense.

Roenicke will bring that mentality to the Brewers.

He prepares as well as anyone I've ever seen. He�s not overly rambunctious or loud, but everyone respects him. The players will like him and he will have all the players prepared in regards to fundamentals. The Angels owe a big part of their fundamental baseball to Ron.

It is great to see him get an opportunity and he inherits a good team with a young nucleus.

Corey Hart, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are some dynamic young power hitters in the middle of the lineup, Casey McGehee really emerged this year at third base and Rickie Weeks gives them speed and pop at the top of the lineup.

The lineup is solid, and don't forget Milwaukee is just two seasons removed from ending a 26-year playoff drought in 2008. The pitching has pretty much been to blame the last couple of years, but it is really tough to replace guys like Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Yovani Gallardo could be an ace and Randy Wolf is a gamer in the rotation, so at least they have something to build on.

But like Maddon and Black before him, coming from the Scioscia coaching tree means starting with pitching and defense, then building around that base with offense.

The Brewers are likely to see Roenicke do the same.

And given the history of Black and Maddon, the playoffs might not be too far behind.


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