Slugger Jackson to Pitch for O.C.’s Viking

Though he is better known for swatting fastballs than for selling computer chips, former baseball slugger Reggie Jackson has been hired as director of new business development at Viking Components.

Acknowledging that it is a “very bizarre” turn of events, company officials insisted Wednesday that the Hall of Famer will be a five-day-a-week employee, in addition to duties as a corporate pitchman.

“He is going to be responsible for new business development, not just be a spokesperson,” said Peter Byrne, a spokesman for Viking, a Laguna Hills company that makes computer memory products. “Our objective is to use his name, his fame, to open some doors that we can’t open ourselves with Fortune 500 accounts and to generate new business.”

Jackson, who has a home in Newport Beach, is expected to spend much of his time meeting with potential Viking customers around the country, Byrne said.

Since his playing days with the New York Yankees and California Angels, among others, Jackson has had mostly promotional affiliations with a range of companies, including Rawlings Sporting Goods and Electronic Arts, a computer game firm based in Silicon Valley.

Asked whether Jackson would be active in developing corporate strategy, Byrne said, “Probably not a lot.” Byrne would not discuss Jackson’s salary, but said he has signed a long-term contract.

Jackson was unavailable for comment, but in a written statement said he is committed to Viking, a fast-growing company that posted sales of $267 million last year.

“After years working in diverse business environments, I have found a home with Viking Components,” Jackson said. “Viking is a young, dynamic company on the cutting edge of computer technology where my corporate contacts and business skills count as much as my 563 career home runs.”