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Press releaseSALT LAKE CITY -- The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Director of Player Development, Abe Flores, announced today that Bobby Mitchell will return for his third consecutive season as Bees manager in 2010. Also returning in 2010 are hitting coach Jim Eppard, pitching coach Erik Bennett and trainer Brian Reinker.
"The Angels continue to provide us with a high quality staff and we're pleased to welcome them all back to Salt Lake City," said Bees General Manager Marc Amicone. "This group well represents the values of both organizations and we're excited to see what the 2010 season will bring."
Mitchell is set to begin his third season as manager of Salt Lake after leading the Bees to the club's fifth consecutive winning season (72-71) in 2009. In 2008, Mitchell's first season managing in Triple-A, the Bees captured a Pacific North Division Championship while setting a minor league baseball record with a 21-1 start. Mitchell managed the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2006 and 2007.
Prior to his first two seasons as a minor league manager, Mitchell spent 14 seasons as a roving minor league instructor and first joined the Angels organization in 2003 after spending time working for the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres. Mitchell was originally a seventh-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 amateur draft and went on to play four seasons in Major League Baseball with the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, appearing in over 200 games. Mitchell attended the University of Southern California and played under legendary baseball coach Rod Dedeaux.
Eppard returns to Salt Lake for his eighth season as the team's hitting coach. In 2009, the Bees boasted two players in the top five PCL leaders in home runs and slugging percentage. Prior to joining the Angels organization, Eppard was the hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Eppard played professional baseball for 12 years, including four seasons with the California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. He also won minor league batting titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1990.
Bennett, entering his 15th season with the Angels organization, returns to the Bees for a third season in 2010. Bennett spent the 2007 season as pitching coach at Double-A Arkansas and previously was the pitching coach for Single-A Cedar Rapids and Rancho Cucamonga. Drafted by the Angels in 1989, Bennett played two major league seasons for the Angels and the Minnesota Twins. While in the minor leagues, he pitched in 17 games for Salt Lake in 1996, owning a 3-1 record.
Reinker also returns for his third season in Triple-A baseball with the Bees and his eighth in the Angels organization. A 2003 graduate of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio with a degree in athletic training, Reinker began working with the Angels as a trainer for the Arizona Summer League in 2003.
Salt Lake Bees season tickets are on sale now, starting as low as $7 a game. Fans can also purchase holiday packs for only $49.50, which include six ticket vouchers and a $10 Fanzz gift card, by calling (801) 325-BASE.
(Courtesy of Salt Lake Bees)
