Winning does matter
ValleyCats announce Pete Incaviglia as newest manager of club
TROY, N.Y. » Swiftly after making the announcement that the Tri-City ValleyCats will be making the jump to the Frontier League after losing affiliation to the MLB, the front office announced Thursday that Pete Incaviglia will be the manager to lead the ‘Cats through uncharted waters.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to the area and meeting the fans and becoming involved in the community,” said Incaviglia Thursday. “I will bring a tenacious group of players. I believe a team will reflect who is in charge and we will play the game the right way. You will see guys running hard to first base and sliding into second the way you are supposed to slide into second.”
“Since our announcement on January 7 to join the Frontier League, our number one goal was to secure a field manager for the ValleyCats,” said ValleyCats President Rick Murphy. “When
the ValleyCats were looking for a field manager, we were looking for someone with extensive professional baseball experience, a success in procuring baseball players, and a commitment to winning.”
Incaviglia has a long history in the game both as a player and a manager.
“I’m confident we have the right man for the job,” said Murphy. “Pete brings 35 years of baseball experience with success on the field. He has won championships in the Atlantic and American Associations.”
As a player, Incaviglia made his Major League debut with the Texas Rangers in 1986. Incaviglia played for the Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and the New York Yankees. Incaviglia had a career batting average .246 with 206 homeruns, 1043 hits, 655 RBI, and a career 10.3 WAR.
Incaviglia was a hitting coach with Erie Seawolves, the Detroit Tigers Class AA affiliate, for three seasons and then became the first manager of the Grand Prairie AirHogs in 2007.
Incaviglia was named the manager of the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2017 and spent the last three seasons with the club. The Skeeters this past offseason became affiliated with the Houston Astros.
“It became very clear the Astros were very interested in purchasing the Skeeters to make them a Triple A affiliate,” said Incaviglia. “I’d say if that didn’t happen then yes, I would still be known as the Sugar Land Skeeters manager.”
Murphy and ValleyCats General Manager Matt Callahan went on an extensive search for a manager once the ValleyCats decided to join the Frontier League at the beginning of January. After several interviews, plenty of resumes, and a lot of zoom calls, Murphy and Callahan think they have found the guy to help the ValleyCats along in independent baseball.
“Pete’s resume speaks for itself and his experience with both building and managing a winning team is really second to none,” said Callahan. “From our conversations and the desire to be a part of the community was another important aspect to us and something that resonated in those conversations.”
“How I got to Tri-City I’m still trying to figure out,” said Incaviglia. “Matt finally gave me a call and Rick gave me a call and I think we were all on the same page of the fan experience and the community and becoming a part of the community and making something the city and the organization can be very proud of.”
Incaviglia, Callahan, and Murphy all ushered in the same mentality in the announcement: the fan experience. The ValleyCats organization has put an emphasis on the fans since day one and that has never left their sights.