Troy Eugene Percival (born August 9,1969) is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He gained fame as a closer. During a 14-year baseball career spanning from 1995 to 2009,he pitched for four Major League Baseball (MLB) teams,primarily with the California/Anaheim Angels. He was an integral part of that franchise's 2002 World Series championship team.
Percival started playing baseball at Moreno Valley Youth Federation (MVYF). Percival played on the Moreno Valley High School baseball team,before attending the University of California,Riverside,where he played college baseball for the Highlanders from 1987–1990.[1] He was then drafted by the California Angels in the 6th round of the 1990 amateur draft as a catcher. He batted .203 in his only season as a catcher with the Boise Hawks and was converted to a pitcher when coaches noticed that his return throws to the mound were actually faster than the pitches he caught. He made his Major League debut as a reliever in 1995,and was mostly used as a setup man for Lee Smith. He was coached by his father Richard Percival for all of his childhood years.[2]
He had a career-high 42 saves in 1998,and enjoyed his best season in 2002 with a 4–1 record,40 saves,68 strikeouts,and a 1.92 ERA. That year en route to winning the World Series,he was 7 for 7 in save opportunities,tying John Wetteland for most saves in one postseason (since tied by Brad Lidge,Koji Uehara and Greg Holland;Robb Nen was also 7 for 7 but blew one on the eighth opportunity).
A four-time All-Star,Percival compiled a 29–38 record with a 2.99 ERA in 586.2 innings for the Angels. His 355 saves grant him inclusion in the 300 save club. However,his strikeouts per nine innings went down considerably after his years as an elite closer. In 2001,his K/9 rate was 11.08 and decreased to 5.98 in 2004. His fastball,once clocked consistently at 96–100 MPH,was down to about 92–93 MPH in 2004,due to a degenerative hip condition that first appeared in 2003,which forced him to alter his pitching delivery.
Percival's contract with the Angels expired in 2004 and he became a free agent at the end of that season. Rather than bring Percival back,the Angels decided to turn to young phenom Francisco Rodríguez to close,motivated largely by Rodríguez's much lower price tag and concerns about Percival's age and health. The Angels offered to negotiate a reduced role (at a correspondingly reduced salary) for Percival to return as a setup man,but Percival decided to seek opportunities elsewhere that would allow him to remain a closer.
Later career and retirement
Percival signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent for the 2005 season. However,after a mediocre start to his career at Comerica Park,during which he converted eight saves from 11 opportunities and posted an ERA of 5.76,Percival suffered a serious injury to his right forearm in early July. The severity of the injury ended his season,and put the rest of his career in doubt.
After attempting to recuperate,Percival reported to spring training for the Tigers in 2006. However,on his first outing he again suffered significant pain and left the team. After spending the entire 2006 season on the Tigers' disabled list and working for the team as an advance scout,Percival's contract with the Tigers expired at the end of the 2006 season.
Though he didn't pitch a game during the Tigers' run to the American League Championship,the team voted Percival a ring and a full playoff share. Appreciative of this gesture,he used the money to buy a suite at Comerica Park for his teammates' wives.[citation needed]
On January 19,2007,the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hired Percival as a special assignment pitching instructor. However,believing his arm to have finally healed,he requested his release from his minor league coaching contract to pursue a comeback. Percival signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and joined the big league team on June 26,2007.[4][5][6] Percival was the fourth member of the 2002 championship Angels team to play for the 2007 Cardinals,joining David Eckstein,Scott Spiezio,and Adam Kennedy,as well as former Angels teammate Jim Edmonds.
Percival made his first appearance in the Majors since 2005 on June 29,2007,against the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out the first batter he faced,David Ross,and was also credited with the win.
On November 29,2007,he signed a two-year,$8 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The contract contained up to $4 million in performance-based incentives.[7] Percival was the team's primary closer in 2008.
On May 22,2009,a day after allowing 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Oakland Athletics,Percival was placed on Tampa Bay's disabled list,and has not pitched since. On August 11,2009 he announced that he was likely to retire,and would cease his attempts at coming back from his current injury.
Coaching career
From 2010 to 2012,Percival was a volunteer pitching coach at Riverside Polytechnic High School.[8] On September 24,2012,Percival was hired as head varsity baseball coach at his alma mater,Moreno Valley High School.[9] On July 26,2014,he was named head coach of the UC Riverside baseball team.[10] On November 11,2020,Percival resigned as head coach of the Highlanders,citing the desire to help his son through the professional ranks as his reason for resignation.[11]
Francisco José Rodríguez Sr., nicknamed "Frankie" and "K-Rod", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers.
Fernando Rodney is a Dominican–American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nationals.
LaTroy Hawkins is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays. Through the 2020 season, his 1,042 games pitched were the 10th-most of any major league player. He has also registered saves against all 30 MLB teams.
Robert "Kip" Wells is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres between 1999 and 2012.
Huston Lowell Street is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels.
Robert Scot Shields is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played his entire baseball career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was the last member of the Anaheim Angels' 2002 World Series Championship team remaining on the team's roster when he announced his retirement in 2011.
Dennis Sean "D. J." Houlton Jr. is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers.
José Rafael Valverde is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nicknamed "Papa Grande."
Koji Uehara is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Jason Michael Grilli is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Texas Rangers. Taken as the fourth overall selection of the 1997 MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants, Grilli was one of the top starting pitcher prospects in all of Minor League Baseball, ranked 54th in 1998 and 44th in 1999. The Giants traded him to the Florida Marlins in 1999, for whom he debuted on May 11, 2000.
Earl Lester "Buddy" Carlyle is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and New York Mets. He also played for the LG Twins of the KBO League, and the Hanshin Tigers and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Christopher Michael Smith is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach in the Oakland Athletics organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics. He is a 1999 graduate of Hesperia High School in Hesperia, California, and attended the University of California, Riverside.
Fu-Te Ni, nicknamed "Tudigong", is a former Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher for the CTBC Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Ni was a professional baseball player from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). After his franchise, the Chinatrust Whales, disbanded on November 11, 2008, he signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He has also previously played for the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He is currently the pitching coach for ANYO Fresh, an amateur team in Taiwan.
Hector Felipe Santiago is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox from 2011 to 2013 and in 2018 and 2019, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2014 to 2016, Minnesota Twins from 2016 to 2017, New York Mets in 2019, and Seattle Mariners in 2021. He plays for the Puerto Rico national baseball team.
Dylan Davis Haines Axelrod is an American pitching performance and integration coordinator for the Detroit Tigers. He is also a former professional baseball pitcher, as well as a former pitcher for Team Israel. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds.
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Corey Andrew Knebel is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.
José Ricardo Álvarez is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Francisco Giants.
Cameron Rock Bedrosian is an American professional baseball pitcher for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, and Philadelphia Phillies. The Angels selected Bedrosian in the first round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014. He is the son of MLB Cy Young Award winning pitcher Steve Bedrosian.
The 2016 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 116th season. The Tigers opened the season on the road against the Miami Marlins on April 5, and their home opener was on April 8 against the New York Yankees. The Tigers finished the season in second place in the American League Central division, with an 86–75 record. They had a chance for a Wild Card berth until the final day of the regular season, but their 1–0 loss to the Atlanta Braves and wins by the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays kept the team out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. As of 2023, this is the last time the Tigers have finished above .500.
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