For Angels broadcaster Victor Rojas, a minor league GM job made sense

This time a year ago, Rojas was preparing for his 11th season as the Angels’ play-by-play broadcaster on Fox Sports West. The baseball industry was preparing for a season like any other. Then the novel coronavirus pandemic struck.

It did not strike all parties equally. Players fought, and eventually gained, the right to pro-rated salaries in a 60-game season. Owners reportedly lost money across the board. Behind the scenes, layoffs and furloughs hit team employees of all stripes – scouts, analysts, minor league players. Broadcasters were not exempt from the weirdness of it all.

Looking out into a stadium of empty fans was nothing compared to looking out on the calendar and not knowing what’s next.

“What’s the certainty of Major League Baseball now?” Rojas asked. “As an independent contractor, am I going to get saddled with 60 games again? I didn’t have a guaranteed contract.”

Rojas, who was named President and General Manager of the minor league Frisco RoughRiders on Monday, doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. After signing one-year contracts to return to the Angels’ booth each of the last seven years, Rojas now has a multi-year contract with the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate.

It’s an unusual career move, to say the least.