Torii Hunter turns down coaching job offer from the Los Angeles Angels: "I ain't going to be the first base coach"
Nine-time Gold Glove winner and former MLB outfielder Torii Hunter has dismissed rumors of becoming the first base coach for the Los Angeles Angels. After the Angels signed Ron Washington as team manager on Wednesday, reports suggested that the new manager was interested in bringing on Hunter as a first base coach. However, it has been revealed in the popular MLB podcast "Foul Territory" that the former outfielder is not interested in taking the job.
Torii Hunter was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 1993 MLB draft and went on to make his major league debut for them in 1997. He spent 11 seasons with the Twins, then went on to sign a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 after becoming a free agent. He later went on to play for the Detroit Tigers before returning to Minnesota to end his playing career in 2015.
According to reports, LA Angels owner Arte Moreno is a huge fan of the two-time Silver Slugger. While Hunter was in running for the manager position prior to Ron Washington's appointment, he was offered the role of first base coach after that. However, it has now been confirmed that Hunter is not interested in the job and even laughed it off:
"I ain't going to be the first base coach."
Can the Los Angeles Angels find another role for Torii Hunter?
It is clear that the Los Angeles Angels have a keen interest in securing the services of their former player Torii Hunter. Having interviewed him for the role of manager as a potential successor to Phil Nevin, the Angels eventually decided to go with Ron Washington.
However, while Hunter said that he has a lot going on in his life, the Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer is clearly interested in becoming a manager in the MLB. With that in mind, can the Angels find another way of accommodating him into their front office staff so he may eventually become the skipper in the future? Perhaps other teams looking for new managers may decide to take him up and offer the role he is looking for.