Page 32 - 2020 Angels Media Guide

front office

director,
MIKE LACASSA minor league operations
Mike LaCassa enters his ninth season with the Angels organization and his fifth
as Director of Minor League Operations. In this role, he oversees all aspects of the
farm system, collaborates between the scouting and player development staffs and
provides evaluations to the office of the general manager.
LaCassa, 33, began his baseball career in 2009 in the Baseball Operations
department of the Milwaukee Brewers, with his involvement focused on advance
scouting. He then moved on to the Texas Rangers in January of 2010 as a Player
Development assistant, where he ran the Club’s Arizona operations at their Spring
Training complex in Surprise, AZ. In December of 2011, LaCassa joined the Angels as Manager of Minor
League Operations, tasked with handling the day-to-day logistics pertaining to player development. He was
front office
later promoted to Angels Assistant Director of Player Development before his current appointment.
A native of Glenview, IL, LaCassa graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008.
Mike, wife Marie, and daughter Katherine reside in Mission Viejo, CA.

MATT SWANSON director, scouting

Matt Swanson enters his fourth campaign with the Angels after serving as the
St. Louis Cardinals’ Midwest Crosschecker for three seasons (2014-16). He was the
Cardinals’ Northern California Area and Pacific Northwest Area Scout for five years
prior to being promoted to crosschecker. During his tenure with St. Louis, he was the
signing scout for big leaguers Stephen Piscotty, Marco Gonzales, Kolten Wong and
Kyle Barraclough, among others.
Swanson, 37, pitched professionally as a reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates farm
system from 2005-07, compiling 10 wins, a 3.93 ERA and 32 saves in 108 career games. He was selected by
the Pirates in the 13th round of the 2005 June Amateur Draft out of the University of California, Berkeley.
During his time with Cal (2001-05), he became a key bullpen fixture as a junior and emerged as a senior,
posting a 1.66 ERA in just under 50 innings in his final collegiate campaign. The 2005 Cal team included future
big leaguers Brennan Bosch, Allen Craig, Brandon Morrow and Josh Satin.
A native of Los Gatos, CA, Swanson and his wife, Sara, reside in Texas with their two daughters, Abigail and
Leah, and son, Luke.

RIC WILSON special assignment scout
2020 represents Ric Wilson's 18th season in the Halo organization and his fourth
as a special assignment scout. In his role, Wilson works closely with the baseball
operations department on a variety of scouting aspects.
From 2010 through 2016, Wilson was the Club's scouting director after previously
serving as the Angels' National Crosschecker from 2003-10. Prior to joining the Halos,
he spent 11 years in the Milwaukee Brewers organization as an Area Scout (1992-94),
Southwest Supervisor (1994-95) and West Coast Supervisor (1996-2002).
A former catcher, Wilson is a lifetime baseball man. He was a junior college All-
American at Mesa Community College (1978-79) and played for two seasons at Arizona State University
(1980-81). He was a member of the Sun Devils’ 1981 National Championship team and was drafted by Seattle
in the first round (secondary phase) of the 1981 MLB Draft. He spent six seasons (1981-86) in the Mariners’
farm system.
Wilson and his wife, Shelly, have three children, Lisette (35), Ricky (32) and Abby (31). The couple resides
in Chandler, AZ .

31 2020 ANGELS MEDIA GUIDE