Fresno Grizzlies Hot Stove Gala to feature Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine, the former Major League Baseball manager and ESPN analyst, will headline the Fresno Grizzlies’ Hot Stove Gala.

The 55th annual event is Feb. 11 at the Fresno Convention Center.

Best known as “Bobby V,” Valentine spent 16 years managing in the big leagues before becoming a regular face for baseball coverage while working as an analyst with ESPN for three seasons.

Valentine guided the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 and most recently managed the Boston Red Sox in 2012 before he was fired after one season. He also managed the Texas Rangers and won a championship in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Prior to his managerial career, Valentine played 10 seasons in the majors. He was the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1968 amateur draft.

“We are both excited and honored to have the one and only Bobby Valentine join us,” Grizzlies general manager Derek Franks said in a news release. “Our fans are going to be in for a real treat when they experience the rich history of Bobby Valentine.”

Valentine will join fellow guest speaker Tony DeFrancesco, the manager of the Grizzlies, and Grizzlies catcher Tyler Heineman and pitcher James Hoyt.

Fresno is coming off its first Pacific Coast League and Triple-A national championships, achieved during the Grizzlies’ first season as a Houston Astros affiliate.

Proceeds from the Hot Stove Gala go to the Fresno Grizzlies Community Fund, a nonprofit organization that manages community programs including Wild About Reading, Farm Grown and Junior Grizzlies.

Tickets are $75, or $35 for those 12 and younger. An All-Star Table of 10 tickets is $700. To purchase tickets, contact Community Fund director Whitney Campbell at

559-320-2547 or visit FresnoGrizzlies.com.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Fresno Grizzlies Hot Stove Gala to feature Bobby Valentine."