Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
October 28, 2005
The Moneyball Club Grows

It's being reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks are hiring Josh Byrnes to replace Joe Garagiola Jr. as general manager. Byrnes currently is assistant GM to Theo Epstein in Boston.

The evolution of the baseball GM continues. We're seeing a version of mammals replacing dinosaurs. At first, there was one tucked in a corner. Then a couple scurrying about. Now the the old style GMs are quickly having their niche filled by young executives schooled in taking advantage of the information explosion. Sure, some dinosaurs will survive for a while, but it's only a matter of time before they're the ones hiding in the corner.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:16 AM | Management | TrackBack (0)
Comments

It's always interesting when a GM comes up with a new theory, regardless of whether it's right or wrong. I'm not a big moneyball or sabermetrics guy, but I thought bullpen by committee (ala 2003 Red Sox) was a great idea. Made sense to me that if the biggest out of the game is in the seventh inning, that's when your best pitcher should be in. But, Bill James and I were wrong.

Posted by: Yankee Despiser at October 28, 2005 09:08 AM

Well, you were wrong if you thought you could make such a scheme work with guys like Chad Fox, Jason Shiell, and Ryan Rupe. Bad/mediocre arms are bad/mediocre arms, no matter when in the game you bring them out to pitch.

Was nobody paying attention to how Ozzie Guillen managed his bullpen most of the year?

Posted by: David Dean at October 28, 2005 09:17 AM

Let's not forget the great Brandon Lyon!

Posted by: Yankee Despiser at October 28, 2005 12:09 PM

Ozzie stuck with Hermanson until he got injured, and only then did he go with Jenks.

Posted by: Yankee Despiser at October 28, 2005 12:14 PM

Notwithstanding that Japanese guy who stunk up the joint.....

Posted by: Yankee Despiser at October 28, 2005 12:16 PM

"Sure, some dinosaurs will survive for a while, but it's only a matter of time before they're the ones hiding in the corner."

Dream-on.

The paradym changed right before our eyes with the end of the steroid age. 'Moneyball'-ism is history: only Boston made the playoffs with a believer in the GM's office..., and say hello to the Dodgers.

Posted by: daniel ziegner at October 28, 2005 07:37 PM

The Red Sox best resign Theo now that Byrnes is definitely gone.

Posted by: Marc Normandin at October 29, 2005 02:35 AM
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