Computer Firm Drafts Mr. October

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 in Laguna Hills.

Acknowledging that it is a “very bizarre” turn of events, company executives said Wednesday that the Hall of Famer will be a five-day-a-week employee, in addition to his 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 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 other teams, 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 will 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.