Angels interview Padres hitting coach Johnny Washington for managerial position

The Angels have interviewed San Diego Padres hitting coach Johnny Washington for their vacant managerial position, according to a person familiar with the meeting who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Former Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, who spent 31 years with the Angels as a minor league player, scout, roving minor league hitting instructor, big league coach and interim manager, remains the favorite to replace Brad Ausmus, who was fired after a 72-90 season.

The Angels have also interviewed Buck Showalter, who spent 20 years as a big league manager with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, and John Farrell, who spent seven years managing in Toronto and Boston and led the Red Sox to the 2013 World Series title.

Washington, a Compton native who played at Mt. San Antonio College, has spent three years on the Padres’ staff, serving as first-base coach in 2017, assistant hitting coach in 2018 and hitting coach in 2019.

He spent the previous eight years as a hitting coach in the Dodgers organization, including three (2009-2011) at rookie-league Ogden, one (2013) at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, one (2014) at Class-A Great Lakes (Mich.) and one (2015) at triple-A Oklahoma City.

A 27^th-round pick of the Texas Rangers out of junior college in 2003, Washington, an infielder, played seven minor league seasons (2003-2009) in the Rangers and Dodgers organizations. He retired as a player in 2009 and moved immediately into coaching.