Harper is hired as Bees' new skipper

Brian Harper spent 16 years in the major leagues as a catcher. Monday he took a huge leap in getting back to the majors in a different role.

Harper was named the manager of the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees by the parent Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

"I'm looking forward to starting this new chapter in my baseball career," said Harper. "Salt Lake is coming off a great season and I hope my experience will help us build on last year's success."

Last season, with Dino Ebel as the team's manager, the Salt Lake Stingers went 79-65, finishing one game behind Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League north standings. Ebel was recently promoted to the Angels to be the team's third-base coach. Also, the Stingers were recently renamed the Bees.

For Harper, moving up to the Triple-A level is a big jump. He's spent the past five seasons as the manager of the Angels' rookie affiliate, the Mesa Angels, in the Arizona Summer League. His teams there had mixed success, going just 115-165.

Still, the Angels liked what they saw from Harper in the player development area.

"Brian has been a tremendous asset to the Angels organization for the past five seasons," said Angels director of player development Tony Reagins. "His knowledge and experience make him an ideal manager for the Triple-A level. I know he's excited about this opportunity to manage in Salt Lake and work with the Bees organization."

Harper played for eight different clubs during his 16-year career. He was drafted by the Angels and made his major league debut in Sept. 1979 before making the big leagues to stay in 1981. He played for the Angels, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Detroit, Oakland, Minnesota and Milwaukee before retiring in May 1995.

Harper's best season was 1989 when he hit .325 for the Twins and he was on Minnesota's 1991 World Series winning team. Harper finished his playing career with a .295 batting average, 63 homers and 428 RBIs in 1,001 major league games.

Two additional newcomers — and one holdover — will round out the Bees' coaching staff. Hitting coach Jim Eppard returns for his fourth season in Salt Lake. The newcomers are pitching coach Charles Nagy and trainer Armando Rivas.

Nagy was a major-league pitcher for 14 years, mostly with the Cleveland Indians. He and Greg Maddux were the only players to win 15 games each year from 1995 to 1999.

Rivas was the trainer for the Angels' Double-A affiliate last season, the Arkansas Travelers.

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