Who Else, In Place Of Cashman?
Many have asked me in the past “Who would you like to see as G.M. of the Yankees if Brian Cashman was no longer there?” And, I’ve answered that in some “comments” sections of various entries here. But, I’ve never done a “post” on it. So, here goes..what follows is my list of the people that I believe the Yankees should have on their interview list, if they ever decide to have someone else, other than Brian Cashman be their G.M. –
1. Damon Oppenheimer. He makes the most sense because he has the scouting background and he also knows the Yankees organization. Plus, he’s in-house – so, the front office personnel knows him, how he works, and there should be no surprises in terms of what he brings to the table.
2. Wayne Krivsky. Currently a scout for the Mets. He comes from a scouting background and learned at the knee of Terry Ryan of the Twins. Many give him good marks for his work as the G.M. of the Reds.
3. Tim Wilken. Currently the Cubs Scouting Director. His work with the Blue Jays and Rays speaks for itself. A great talent evaluator. However, if I recall correctly, he’s a bit of a character – but I could be wrong on that.
4. Jack Zduriencik. Cut his teeth with the ‘86 Mets. Currently the Special Assistant to the General Manager/Director of Amateur Scouting for the Brewers – and a big reason why that team is where it is today.
5. Mike Rizzo. He’s the Assistant G.M. and Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Nationals. But, he’s best known for taking a terrible Arizona Diamondback farm system, using his scouting expertise, and turning them into a great, young, team.
6. Jerry DiPoto. Local boy. Played the game. Presently, he’s the Director of Scouting and Player Personnel for the Diamondbacks – and on many people’s list as a front office up-and-comer.
7. Mike Arbuckle. He’s got a quarter-century’s experience, thereabouts, in scouting and player development. It always seems like he’s on the “next great G.M.” list for years. For these reasons alone, I would have him on the interview list – at the least, just to kick his tires.
8. Tony LaCava. He’s the Blue Jays Director of Player Personnel – but he’s also worked with the Angels, Braves, Indians and Expos in some scouting or farm-ops capacity. Like Arbuckle, many feel that he’s G.M. material – so, it would be worth checking him out.
9. Chris Antonetti. He’s the Assistant G.M. in Cleveland. Most say he’s a can’t miss G.M. in the making. I’d rank him higher on the list – but, the odds are that you’ll never get him…he’s that deep into the Tribe plans. Still, this would be a bogus list if he was not included.
10. Mike Radcliff. He joined the Twins in 1987 and he’s been their Scouting Director since 1994. And, the Twins do things the right way…in terms of picking and developing players.
In addition to these ten, I would try and get permission to speak to Jim Fleming and/or Dan Jennings of the Marlins, if possible – simply because of the great work they’ve done finding talent for that team.
There you have it…just in case…should the need for such a list come up in the next year or two…
Kim Ng doesn’t make the list? For shame!
She’s a paper-pusher…never been a scout or played the game, etc. We already have one of those.
The Mariners have expressed an interest in LaCava. Good list Steve. If Oppenheimer sticks around for the next 3 years (and if Cashman falls out of favor with the Steinbrenner bunch), I’d like to see him get a shot.
Thanks iYankees. Again, D.O. makes the most sense because he knows what it’s like to work for Team Stein in this city.
Steve, evaluation of talent seems to be one of your main talking points against Cashman. Do you like what D.O. has done with the draft and minor league system of the last few years? Has he proven in your eyes that he can evaluate talent at the same level as the others you list?
Actually, IMHO, Oppenheimer doesn’t have the pelts on his belt that Krivsky, Wilken, and Zduriencik do…but, again, I ranked him higher than them because he knows about life in Yankeeland.
Do I like what he’s done with the draft in the last 3 years? Way too early to say…that’s where the others have a leg on him…because their “prospects” have hatched already.
For a percontatorial exercise (the only exercise I ever get) I looked into Cashman’s assumption of the General Manager duties in February of 1998 to see just what he was expected to bring to the table. Among the more salient references was this telling excerpt from the New York Times:
“Cashman, a strong negotiator and savvy administrator who admitted that evaluating talent is not his strength, confronts a position that Joe Torre calls the most arduous in baseball.”
So there you have it. While all of us perceive the role of General Manager as a sort of horse dealer, the Yankees seem to have (at least in Cashman’s case) a different job description for that title. Obviously, “evaluating talent” isn’t a requisite skill.
And, that’s why you end up with deals like Weaver, Pavano, Igawa, etc.
And, that’s why you end up with deals like Weaver, Pavano, Igawa, etc.
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What did the scouts say?
Also, it’s how you end up with deals like Jon Lieber, Roger Clemens, David Wells, Mike Mussina, Chris Hammond, etc.
~~What did the scouts say?~~
And, what did the GM do when he heard what they said? Ignore them? Listen to them? Does the GM have enough smarts to know when to ignore them and when to listen to them?
If everyone says that a player is worth acquiring, then it’s reasonable to acquire them.
http://tinyurl.com/3zejhz
“After picking up Raul Mondesi from Toronto in a contract dump on Monday, New York set its sights higher and targeted the best young pitcher available on the trade market.”
http://tinyurl.com/3l5sez
“What’s scary for the rest of the AL is that Weaver moves from one of the league’s worst defenses to one of it’s best. Using a stat called Defensive Efficiency Record, which tells the percentage of balls in play that are turned into outs (home runs not included), the Yankees have the third-best defense in the AL while the Tigers have the third-worst. Weaver has allowed a .243 opponents’ average this season; expect that to drop with an improved defense behind him.
Is there a potential downside? Yes, last year Weaver threw the second-most pitches in the AL; this season, he’s fifth. So he has thrown a lot of pitches at a young age, although we’ve seen no signs of ill effects because of that.
The Yankees did give up a nice young lefty in Lilly and two good prospects in Griffin and Arnold, but give GM Brian Cashman kudos for this deal. Weaver provides depth for this year and, perhaps more importantly, an anchor for next when David Wells is gone and Roger Clemens a year older.”
http://tinyurl.com/4h3wna
Tigers president and CEO David Dombrowski said it was difficult parting with Weaver, but the team felt a need to look to the future.
“We could wind up years from now wanting [Weaver] on our staff when we are ready to compete, but right now I had to make the decision on how would we get better,” Dombrowski said. “We’re not close to where we want to be right now, and we felt in making this trade, we’re giving a quality starter and getting three quality players in return. That’s what we were trying to do.”