When Ron Washington took over as manager of the Los Angeles Angels, he couldn’t have known that he would spend a good portion of his first season without some of his team’s biggest stars. He has enough experience to know that the team could only go so far without Mike Trout, and with Anthony Rendon neither playing nor playing up to his potential.
Now, Washington must fuse his own philosophy with a young clubhouse that has never experienced his style up close. He has high expectations for the Angels despite his inexperience, but he doesn’t get upset when his young players make a mistake. He chooses to see it as part of the game and its development.
That’s why one of the biggest points of emphasis in this clubhouse is responsibility, and each man holding the other accountable for their actions both on and off the field. It doesn’t matter if he is a veteran, rookie or coach.
“I just have to stay in the process, stay the course,” Washington told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “Every day when they come to the stadium, I want them to see the same guy busting his butt, trying to make people better and having fun. I want them to feed off of me and my coaching staff.
“Every day our goal is to win, but if we don’t win, he firmly believes in the process and building culture. He knows that it is not done overnight. Despite our history, we have put ourselves in a position to win many games. We just don’t know how to win those games. We have many young people here. Some of these guys are trusted to drive the bus when in reality our lineup is made up of a group of passengers right now.
“Culture is a very important part, but you can’t win without superstars.”
