Angels manager Mike Scioscia on Sunday pumped the brakes on a published report that he plans to step down following the 2018 season, calling the idea "poppycock" and added that he still loves managing, according to a tweet from Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday for The Athletic that Scioscia would step down after his 10-year, $50 million contract expires following this season. General manager Billy Eppler declined to comment.
Scioscia, the longest-tenured manager in baseball, has skippered the Angels since the fall of 1999, guiding the club to its first and only World Series title, in 2002, and winning six American League West titles and two Manager of the Year Awards, in 2002 and '09. Under his leadership, the Angels have gone 1,625-1,402 and posted a .537 winning percentage since the 2000 season.
But the Angels have not won a postseason game since 2009 and have only one playoff appearance since then, which ended in a sweep at the hands of the Royals in the 2014 American League Division Series.
Despite entering the 2018 season with heightened expectations, the Angels have once again been plagued by injuries and are on track to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. At 55-57, they are in fourth place in the American League West, 16 games behind the first-place Astros and 11 games behind the A's for the second American League Wild Card spot.
Scioscia, 59, has consistently deflected questions about his future with the organization, preferring to keep the focus on 2018. His 19-year run with the Angels is the longest since Bobby Cox managed the Braves for 21 seasons, and is the sixth-longest in Major League history.
Bench coach Josh Paul and special assistants Brad Ausmus and Eric Chavez would be among the candidates to replace Scioscia as Angels manager, according to Rosenthal.
Maria Guardado/MLB.com
 

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