Victor Rojas
Encyclopedia
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
.
Playing career
Rojas is the son of former major-league player and manager Cookie RojasCookie Rojas
Octavio Victor Rojas Rivas , better known as Cookie Rojas, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. After retiring as a player he went on to both coach and manage in the...
. Born in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and raised in Overland Park, Kansas
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
, Rojas played college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
at the College of the Desert
College of the Desert
College of the Desert is a public two-year community college located in Palm Desert in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California...
in Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
, and Lewis-Clark State College
Lewis-Clark State College
Lewis–Clark State College is a public undergraduate college located in Lewiston, Idaho. It was founded in 1893, and has an annual enrollment of approximately 3,500 students. The college offers over 83 degrees and is well-known for its Criminal Justice, Education, Nursing, and Technical programs.-...
in Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city in and also the county seat of Nez Perce County in the Pacific Northwest state of Idaho. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID - Clarkston, WA...
. He pitched in the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
minor league system in the early 1990s.
Coaching career
He worked at Upper Deck CompanyUpper Deck Company
The Upper Deck Company, LLC , founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards...
and on the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
baseball staff in 1993. He was the pitching coach for the Rio Grande Valley White Wings of the independent Texas-Louisiana League in 1994.
Early jobs
Rojas was a radio and television announcer for the Newark BearsNewark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
of the independent
Independent baseball
Independent baseball leagues are professional baseball organizations located in the United States and Canada. They are not operated in conjunction with either a Major League Baseball team or an affiliated minor league team. Being independent allows teams to be located close to major-league teams...
Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
for two years, and also served as the franchise's general manager. He worked as a broadcaster for MLB Radio
MLBAM
Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P., is a limited partnership of the club owners of Major League Baseball, and is the internet and interactive branch of the league. The company operates the official web site for the league and 30 Major League Baseball club web sites via MLB.com, which draws...
in 2002 and 2003 on the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
and the Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
.
Texas Rangers
He joined the Rangers in 2004, replacing Vince CotroneoVince Cotroneo
Vince Cotroneo is a radio play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics. He signed a two-year contract with the A's on January 13, 2006 to fill a void in the broadcast booth left by the sudden death of longtime lead announcer Bill King...
(now with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
). Rojas worked with lead announcer Eric Nadel
Eric Nadel
Eric Nadel is a sports announcer on radio broadcasts for the Texas Rangers baseball organization.-Biography:He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, as a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and decided at a young age that he wanted to be a sports broadcaster...
on all regular-season games and a number of spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
games. He did play-by-play for two pairs of the middle innings (3-4 and 6-7) and provided color commentary for Nadel during the other innings. He has worked multiple Rangers games on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
as a fill-in announcer for regular play-by-play man Josh Lewin
Josh Lewin
Josh Lewin is an American sports play-by-play announcer who most recently called television games for the Texas Rangers baseball club. He serves as radio voice of the San Diego Chargers football team...
or color commentator Tom Grieve
Tom Grieve
Thomas Alan Grieve was a Major League Baseball player from 1970-1979 for the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals...
, and he has also appeared on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
MLB Network
Rojas was the first personality to appear on camera when MLB NetworkMLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
launched on January 1, 2009, serving as the first host on Hot Stove
Hot Stove
Hot Stove is the signature offseason program that airs on MLB Network and is simulcast on MLB Network Radio. The show offers the coverage of offseason activities including trades, free agent signings, and rumors. It is taped live in Studio 3 of the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, New Jersey, but...
(the Network's off-season studio show). Along with Hot Stove, he appeared on MLB Tonight
MLB Tonight
MLB Tonight is the signature program that airs on MLB Network and is simulcast on MLB Network Radio. The show offers complete coverage of all Major League Baseball games from 6pm ET till 1am ET during the regular season. It is taped live in Studio 3 of the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, New...
, the network's signature nightly studio program. Rojas also called play-by-play for some of MLB Network's Thursday Night Baseball
Thursday Night Baseball
Thursday Night Baseball is the title of a presentation of Major League Baseball on cable and satellite channel MLB Network, that premiered on April 9, 2009. Longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Bob Costas is one of the play-by-play voices of the broadcasts. Matt Vasgersian also does play-by-play on some...
telecasts.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
On March 3, 2010, he was named the Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
's TV play-by-play announcer, replacing Rory Markas
Rory Markas
Rory Markas was an American sportscaster best known as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's play-by-play broadcaster for eight seasons, and as the radio voice of the University of Southern California men's basketball team for 11 seasons...
who died in January. He is partnered with color commentator Mark Gubicza
Mark Gubicza
Mark Steven Gubicza is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for 14 seasons for the Kansas City Royals and Anaheim Angels . He currently does color commentary for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim games on Fox Sports...
on the broadcasts.
Play Calls
- "Oppo taco": opposite field home run, which Rojas invented
- "Three-Run Jimmy Jack": Three run home run by the Angels
- "Forget about it (or that one). Big fly for [player]": When a hit is deep enough for a home run
- "What a play by [player]!"
- "Got him on a [pitch], down goes [player]"
- "Light that baby up!": The call at the final out of an Angels win, referring to the halo on the 230-foot tall A outside of Angel Stadium that lights up when the Angels win.
Personal
He is currently married with three children Brianna, Mattingly, and Tyler. His father Cookie RojasCookie Rojas
Octavio Victor Rojas Rivas , better known as Cookie Rojas, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. After retiring as a player he went on to both coach and manage in the...
was an MLB player for 15 seasons and a coach for two, and is also in broadcasting, he does Spanish TV color commentary for the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
. His brother Mike Rojas
Mike Rojas
Miguel Angel Rojas is an American professional baseball coach and player development official. A member of the Detroit Tigers' organization since , Rojas was named bullpen coach of the Tigers on July 3, 2011, when his predecessor, Jeff Jones, was promoted to Detroit's pitching coach position...
is the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
bullpen coach.