Troy Percival pitched 14 years in the big leagues and saved
358 games, a career total surpassed by only seven others.
But come Monday, he's starting over.
Twenty-five years after he graduated from Moreno Valley High School, Percival,
43, is taking over as baseball coach at his alma mater. He's doing it as a way
to give back, but he also knows it won't be easy.
Moreno Valley isn't, and never has been, a prep baseball power.
"It looks like it's going to be a daunting task," Percival said.
"They haven't had a whole lot of success, the field's not in great shape
and there's only a few returning players from last year, so it's going to be a
task. But I'm looking forward to it."
Percival, who was drafted by the Angels out of UC Riverside and spent his first
10 big league seasons with them, holds the Angels' all-time saves record with
316. Although it's doubtful many of his MVHS players will recall much about his
career, he said he's less concerned with how much they know than how they
respond to his coaching.
"I'm sure some of them will know via their parents, but that's really not
my concern," he said. "As long as they respect the fact that I know
baseball, I don't think you have to have a big league pedigree to get people to
respect you. I'll respect them, and I'm hoping they'll respect me because I do
run a tight ship.
"I expect things to be done one way, which is: You're going to work hard,
and success will come with it. If not, you're not going to be on my team."
At the moment, Percival doesn't even know what his team will look like. He
didn't get the job until recently and has yet to meet his players. He opted not
to accept any pay and has given back the stipends he would have received so
that additional coaches can be hired.
Percival expects to try and recruit athletes from other sports to fill out his
roster. Last season's team finished with a 3-21 record and was 1-13 in the
Inland Valley League.
"School starts on Monday, so my intentions are to be out there for sixth-period
baseball and start learning some of the people," Percival said. "If
there's an assembly, I'm hoping to drum up a few more, like football players or
just athletes who want to come out. My understanding is that there's not a
whole lot of participation for baseball, so I've got to improve that."
The lack of success is likely the reason for minimal interest in the baseball
team, so Percival understands his job isn't just to coach, it's to build a
roster and create a belief that Moreno Valley can one day be good.
That might be the reason that Ray Burns, Moreno Valley’s vice principal, sought
out Percival when the job opened. The two hadn't really stayed in touch through
the years, but Percival seemed like the right man for the job.
"I got a phone call from coach Burns — I still call him that — and I
remembered that he took the time when I was in high school to be my football
coach and my wrestling coach,” Percival said. “He called and asked me if I
would help them out, and I said absolutely. He took the time to do it for me. I'm
going to do it for him."
This isn't Percival's first attempt at coaching. In past years, even when he
was playing, he served as a coach for his son's travel ball team in the
offseason. He also spent the past two seasons as the pitching coach at
Riverside Poly, which is how Burns found him.
After graduation from high school, Percival played at UC Riverside, but
throughout his early career, he was strictly a catcher. He didn't convert to
pitching until his second year in pro ball.
Why the change?
"I think it was my lack of offense," Percival said. "They saw my
arm, and I was actually a pretty good catcher. But when it came right down to
it, you can't hit .200 and continue to move up in the minor league
system."
The Angels asked then-pitching coach Marcel Lachemann to take a look at
Percival, and it was decided that pitching was a definite possibility.
"It was his opinion that pitching was my better route (to the big leagues),"
Percival said. "I turned in my catcher's gear to (minor league
coordinator, now Tampa Bay manager) Joe Madden of all people, and that day I
went out there as a pitcher."
Percival has maintained his ties to UC Riverside, helping to rebuild the
baseball locker room with his father, an ex-fireman and painter, and his former
father-in-law.
If all goes well, Percival intends to coach at Moreno Valley for several years
and then be in line to succeed Doug Smith at UC Riverside when Smith retires.
He said he'll consider coaching at the professional level, but only when his
two children are finished with high school.
By then, Percival may have turned Moreno Valley from an also-ran into a
perennial contender. But it will take some time.
Like a closer waiting for the ninth inning, he understands the importance of
patience. It worked in the past; no reason it can't work again.
