Photo via the Long Beach Baseball Club.<\/p>\n
The Long Beach Baseball Club took another major step forward today, announcing on social media that former Anaheim Angels pitcher and World Series champion Troy Percival has been hired as the team\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n
The Southern California native spent 14 years in MLB, most notably in Anaheim, where he served as a reliever and closer for the Angels during their historic 2002 championship run. Percival later spent six years as the head coach at UC Riverside before spending the past two seasons managing the Idaho Falls Chukars, who compete in the same Pioneer League as the Long Beach Baseball Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouthern California is home, and Long Beach has an incredible baseball history and community, \u201dhe wrote on the LBBC post. \u201cThis opportunity to build a team from the ground up, to establish a culture that values hard work, teamwork, and pride in representing the city, is something truly special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team also announced that Percival will be joined by former teammate and four-time MLB All-Star Troy Glaus, who\u2019s joining the team as an assistant coach. Glaus had stints with five MLB teams after being drafted by Anaheim and was named the World Series MVP during that legendary 2002 championship run.<\/p>\n