Doug Davis Named Salt Lake Bees Manager Ahead of 2026 Season

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – The Salt Lake Bees, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Angels, have announced that Doug Davis will be the club's ninth manager in franchise history entering the 2026 season.

The move comes after the club’s winningest manager of all time, Keith Johnson, was promoted to third base coach of the Los Angeles Angels after a total of 10 seasons at the helm for Salt Lake.

“We’re excited to welcome Doug to the Salt Lake Bees. Doug brings a proven track record of leadership, development and winning at the Triple-A level,” said Bees General Manager Ty Wardle. “His experience, baseball knowledge and ability to connect with players make him the right person to lead our clubhouse as we enter the 2026 season.”

Davis joins the Bees after three seasons as manager of the Round Rock Express, where he established himself as one of the Pacific Coast League’s most accomplished skippers. During the 2023 season, his first with Round Rock, Davis led the Express to win the second half in the PCL and give the franchise its first appearance in the Pacific Coast League Championship since 2019, finishing with a franchise-record 89 wins.

In 2024, Davis earned his 800th managerial win on July 12 at Reno. The Express went 71-77 in 2024 and 77-73 in 2025, finishing third in the PCL East in each season.

In 2025, Davis reached another milestone, surpassing 900 managerial victories and enters 2026 with a career managerial record of 904–811 across 13 seasons leading minor league clubs.

“Having been around Salt Lake and the league for the past three seasons, I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to spend 2026 here,” said Davis. “I love the new ballpark and the energy around this franchise, and I’m thrilled to be part of the Los Angeles Angels organization again, coming back home to the team that drafted me makes this opportunity even more special.”

Prior to his time in Round Rock, Davis joined the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2017, serving as a defensive and bullpen coach before being named the team's manager in 2020, managing the team in 2021–22 after the 2020 season was canceled.

Davis’s coaching resume includes time at the Major League level, serving as bench coach for the Florida Marlins during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He was part of the Marlins’ 2003 World Series championship staff. He has also held minor league field coordinator roles with the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins and spent 11 seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization in a variety of coaching capacities.

His managerial career began in 1996, when Davis was named manager of the Pittsfield Mets, before being promoted to manage the Double-A Binghamton Mets in 1999. As a player, Davis was a catcher and infielder and was selected by the California Angels in the ninth round of the 1984 MLB Draft. He played professionally for 11 seasons across the Angels, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals organizations, appearing in seven Major League games—six with the Angels in 1988 and one with the Rangers in 1992.

A native of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Davis now brings his experience, leadership, and championship pedigree to the Salt Lake Bees as the club prepares for the 2026 season.

Davis and the Bees will open the season in Las Vegas on Friday, March 27, against the Las Vegas Aviators, with the home opener slated for Tuesday, March 31, against the Sacramento River Cats at 6:35 p.m., beginning the second season at The Ballpark at America First Square in Downtown Daybreak.