Vigilantes Put Rodgers Back in Dugout

The Mission Viejo Vigilantes took what they hope is a big step in name recognition Monday by naming Buck Rodgers as their manager.

Rodgers, who spent eight seasons as a major league player, and another 12 seasons as a manager with the Angels, Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers, signed a one-year deal to replace Jeff Burroughs, who resigned on Friday.

“I’ve been unemployed for the past two years,” said Rodgers, who was fired by the Angels during the 1994 season, and left the Philadelphia Phillies--where he was an advance scout--in 1995. “I wanted to get back to work and back in baseball.

“People asked me why I would come back to [the minors]. One, I want to enjoy myself, and two, I want to do more in teaching and player development. There were other offers I received, mainly scouting, but I didn’t want to travel that much.”

Rodgers’ agent, Ken Pavia, said he had received scouting job offers from the Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. “This is what he wanted to do,” Pavia said.

Rodgers, 58, began managing in 1975, leading Salinas of the California League to a 67-73 record. In 1977 he managed El Paso in the Texas League. That club finished first at 78-52.

Rodgers’ last minor league stint was in 1984 at Indianapolis, winning the American Assn. championship with a 91-63 mark. That year he was voted minor league manager of the year by the Sporting News. He was also named National League manager of the year in 1987 for guiding the Expos to a 91-71 record and third place in the NL East.

Mission Viejo team President Patrick Elster said he and other team officials originally contacted Rodgers to see if he could “just be involved in some capacity” with the team. “When it looked like we would not be able to re-sign Jeff, we asked him about managing,” Elster said. “At first he said no.”

But Elster kept pressing Rodgers, and was able to convince him he could accomplish some of the ideas he had on player development.

“We got his juices flowing,” Elster said. “I also think he liked the idea that 40% of the teams in our league will be playing in brand new ballparks.”

General Manager Paula Pyers, who called Rodgers’ signing “the most momentous day in franchise history,” said the club had retained the options of 18 players from last year’s team. They will be invited to the Vigilantes’ spring training, which starts the first week in May. The 90-game schedule, which includes 46 home games at Saddleback College, begins May 23.

One concession the Vigilantes made: Rodgers will not have to travel with the team on buses during their trips. Instead, he will fly to the various cities.

During the 1992 season, Rodgers was severely injured when the Angels team bus crashed en route from New York to Baltimore in May. He sustained a fractured left knee and a fractured right elbow.

Burroughs managed the team (then known as the Barracudas and the Riptide) for three years when it was located in Long Beach, twice winning the Western Baseball League title. He said on Monday the parting was mutual and amicable.

“It was time for me to move on,” Burroughs said. “There were other things I wanted to do, and I didn’t have the time to do everything.”