The Angels have announced the following front office promotions and hires from the office of General Manager Billy Eppler.
Bud Black – Special Assistant to the General Manager
Mike Gallego – Director of Baseball Development
Justin Hollander – Director of Player Personnel
Mike LaCassa – Director of Minor League Operations
Steve Martone – Assistant General Manager
Bobby Scales – Special Assistant to the General Manager
Jonathan Strangio – Assistant General Manager
Black, 58, returns to the Angels organization after spending the past nine years as the manager of the San Diego Padres. He compiled a 649-713 (.477) record at the helm of the Padres and his 649 victories rank second to Bruce Bochy (951) in San Diego history. In 2010, he was named by the BBWAA as the National League Manager of the Year after leading the Padres to 90 wins, marking San Diego’s highest win total since their N.L. Championship season in 1998.
During his time with the Padres he was twice named to the National League All-Star coaching staff after being selected to join Clint Hurdle on the bench in 2008 and Charlie Manual in 2010. Additionally, he is one of three men to tally 500 wins as a manager and 100 wins as a pitcher, joining Hall-of-Famers Clark Griffith and Walter Johnson.
A native of Longview,WA, Black was a member of the Angels coaching staff under manager Mike Scioscia for seven seasons as pitching coach from 2000-06.
Black also pitched 15 Major League seasons with Seattle (1981), Kansas City (1982-88), Cleveland (1988-90, ’95), Toronto (1990) and San Francisco (1991-94). He compiled a 121-116 record and 3.84 ERA (2053.1 IP – 876 ER) in 398 games (296 starts) and was a member of the Royals 1985 World Series winning team. Black was originally drafted by Seattle in the 17th round of the 1979 First-Year Player Draft out of San Diego State University where he was a college teammate of Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn.
Gallego, 55, joins the Angels after spending the previous seven seasons with Oakland as third base coach. Prior to joining the A’s in the 2008 offseason, he worked in the Colorado Rockies organization for nine seasons, including four on Clint Hurdle’s Major League staff as third base and infield coach. A native of Whittier, he attended St. Paul HS (Santa Fe Springs, CA) and UCLA before being drafted by Oakland in the second round of the 1981 First-Year Player Draft. In 13 Major League seasons, he compiled a career .239 batting average (700/2931) with 111 doubles, 42 home runs and 282 RBI.
Hollander, 37, enters his ninth year with the Angels in 2016, serving as Director of Baseball Operations the last four campaigns. In his new role, Hollander will focus on player procurement, negotiations of Major League contracts, arbitration, 40-man roster composition and baseball research & information.
LaCassa, 29, began his baseball career in 2008 as an intern in with the Milwaukee Brewers in sales and then in scouting. He then moved on to the Texas Rangers in January of 2009 as an intern in player development. From 2010-11 with Texas, he served as a player development/Arizona operations assistant in which he ran the club’s Spring Training complex in Arizona.
In 2011 LaCassa joined the Angels a manager of minor league operations focusing on administrative duties pertaining to player development. He was promoted to Angels Assistant Director of Player Development before his current appointment.
Martone, 35, comes to the Angels following nine years in baseball operations with the New York Yankees, including the 2009 World Championship campaign.
Scales, 38, enters his fourth season in the Angels organization, serving as the Club’s Director of Player Development the last three campaigns.
Strangio, 27, will enter his fifth year with the Halos in 2016. He joined the Club as a baseball operations intern in 2012 before a promotion to Coordinator, Baseball Operations after the 2012 campaign. .
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