The Los Angeles Angels have made their first major hire of the 2021 offseason, reportedly bringing on Tim McIlvaine as their new director of amateur scouting. He replaces Matt Swanson, who had been with the Angels for the last five seasons.
The Angels also have openings at the catching coach position and at third base, but clearly felt that the scouting director was a more pressing replacement.
The move was reported on Thursday that the Angels would be bringing on the experience former Milwaukee Brewers scout, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN:
Sources tell @Alden_Gonzalez and me that the Angels have chosen Tim McIlvaine as their new scouting director. He had been with the Brewers for 16 years as area scout, crosschecker, and most recently assistant director of scouting.
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) October 28, 2021
McIlvaine is just 40 years old, but has already spent 16 years within the Brewers organization. His various roles within the team included area scout, supervisor of amateur scouting, and assistant director of domestic scouting.
His role with the Angels signifies his biggest thus far in the Major Leagues. It also signals an affinity for the Brewers from general manager Perry Minasian. One of his first hires with the team was Ray Montgomery for director of player personnel, also coming from Milwaukee.
McIlvaine is also a one-time player. He played catcher at the professional level, and was in the Minnesota Twins organization in 2004 before moving to his scouting role.
The Angels ranked 24th in MLB for their farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. And while Swanson did a good job bringing in some high-level talent, he struggled to find good players on the margins. Perhaps McIlvaine can do a better job building a more robust and less top-heavy system.
David Fletcher, Jared Walsh Gold Glove finalists
The finalists for the 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award were announced on Thursday, with first baseman Jared Walsh and second baseman David Fletcher making the cut. They were the only two Angels players to be named among the finalists.
