Brady Anderson is hired as the Angels' hitting coach, with John Mabry as his assistant

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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brady Anderson will be the Los Angeles Angels' hitting coach next season, and John Mabry will be the club's assistant hitting coach.

The Angels on Friday confirmed the hiring of Anderson, the longtime Baltimore Orioles slugger, for his first major league coaching job under rookie manager Kurt Suzuki.

Anderson played baseball at UC Irvine in Orange County before his 15-year major league career, which included parts of 14 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.

He was a three-time All-Star who hit 210 homers, including 50 in 1996, and drove in 761 runs. Anderson worked in the Orioles' front office for several seasons in the 2010s after his playing retirement.

He will attempt to help an Angels lineup that led the majors in strikeouts and had the lowest batting average at .225, improbably finishing 25th in runs despite being fourth in homers. Los Angeles has 10 straight losing seasons and 11 straight non-playoff seasons, both the longest active streaks in the majors, after finishing 72-90 and in last place in the AL West this year.

Mabry is leaving the Orioles, where he was a senior adviser last season. He spent several years as the Cardinals' hitting coach before additional coaching roles with Kansas City and Miami.

The Angels already hired Mike Maddux to be their new pitching coach. While Suzuki and Anderson have no experience in their jobs, Maddux will begin his 24th consecutive season as a pitching coach for five teams.

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