Ahead of their inaugural season in the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL), the Long Beach Baseball Club (LBBC) has made a call to the bullpen, hiring SoCal native and former Anaheim Angels closer Troy Percival as the team’s first-ever manager.
“Troy Percival represents everything we want this team to stand for — leadership, integrity, and an unrelenting competitive spirit,” said Ena Patel, LBBC President, in a public statement. “He has won at the highest level, developed young players, and built strong communities through the game. We’re thrilled he’s leading us from day one.”
During Percival’s 14-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), spanning from 1995 to 2009, he accumulated 358 career saves whilst playing primarily for the California/Anaheim Angels, as well as the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays. Percival ranks 14th all-time on the MLB career saves list.
Percival was a four-time All-Star, and a commanding presence throughout the Angels’ 2002 championship run. Across nine postseason appearances, he recorded seven saves, including the final three outs of the Angels’ Game 7 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.
For the past two seasons, Percival served as skipper of the PBL’s Idaho Falls Chukars. During the 2025 campaign, the Chukars narrowly finished in second place after losing the best-of-5 championship series to the Oakland Ballers.
A picture of the main Homeplate Gate of Angel Stadium during the CSULB commencement ceremony on May 29, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)
Prior to his time in the PBL, Percival coached locally at the high school and collegiate levels, with stints at Riverside Polytechnic High School and two of his alma maters, Moreno Valley High School and UC Riverside.
“Southern California is home, and Long Beach has an incredible baseball history and community,” Percival said in a public statement. “This opportunity to build a team from the ground up, to establish a culture that values hard work, teamwork, and pride in representing this city, is something truly special.”
Another Angels legend and fellow SoCal native, former MLB third-baseman Troy Glaus, has been announced as an assistant coach on Percival’s staff. Glaus slugged 320 home runs throughout his 13-year MLB career with the Angels, Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks. He was also named the MVP of the 2002 World Series.
More announcements will be made in the ensuing months as Percival fills out his coaching staff. Additionally, the LBBC has said they’ll unveil the team’s name and colors in the coming year. The final three names being considered are the Long Beach Coast, Long Beach Parrots and Long Beach Regulators.
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