Sooo, parallel universe: Who would you hire?

[bmags]

I expected today to be able to throw around names instead of getting bobby slammed with Dayton Moore.

My perfect world is still david stearns. The Brewers in 2015 were in a similar spot to the sox, and then Stearns took over and without ever really tearing things to the studs found competitive baseball constantly, even while overhauling the talent.

But he's going to the mets.

Mike Fast would be my pick. 

Former hardball times writer, gets hired by Luhnow and works his way up from Analyst to their director of reseearch. Leaves BEFORE s%*# hits the fan in Houston by choice, then goes to join Alex Anthopolous first as a special assistant to the GM (some teams use this to add interesting talent and perspectives to the org, not just to promote someone who has failed) before taking over as their Director of Baseball Development in 2021. 

That year the braves won the world series. 

I'll continue to harp that the Braves are very similar to the sox in a "baseball demographics" sense. They have a fickle fan base, they have had similar budgets. They do not get free draft picks. They are in our same intl slot. 

Yet they couldn't be more different. They develop pitching. They develop hitting. They find exciting athletes and give thems trong baseball skills. 

Now I can't imagine a worse demo for JR than "former baseball writer", but maybe this guy can tap into the person who would have hired Jerry Krause, a curmudgeon outsider, and bring him to lead his basketball team. 

[Kyyle23]

The only answer is Keith Law, because then he would have to fix our minors because he hates them 

[bmags]

1 minute ago, Kyyle23 said:

The only answer is Keith Law, because then he would have to fix our minors because he hates them 

This would be good. I find him annoying which means jerry probably would like him.

[Dick Allen]

I'd go with Randy Flores assitant GM with the Cardinals. He has helped draft and develop a lot of players, and he doesn't have to have a top 4 pick to do so.

[Bob Sacamano]

Some executive that has been passed over for a GM job from the Rays, Dodgers, Cardinals, Astros, etc.

[bmags]

1 minute ago, Dick Allen said:

I'd go with Randy Flores assitant GM with the Cardinals. He has helped draft and develop a lot of players, and he doesn't have to have a top 4 pick to do so.

My only counter is no org is more coddled by the CBA than the cardinals. They have the good fortune of a huge fan base, which they don't actively antagonize by losing (I do get this part), but having the budgets they have, plus the additional comp balance draft picks, plus the bigger intl budgets adds quite a boost. 

But boy, it sure would be nice change of pace to see the white sox org bring up guys that all seem to have plus defensive skills.

[TheFutureIsNear]

Amiel Sawdaye would be my choice. A young(ish) fresh mind with a history of great drafting and player development with both Boston and now Arizona

[Dam8610]

Scour the player development departments of the Dodgers, Rays, Astros, Brewers, Braves and maybe even Orioles and bring the best you can find here. About 25 of them.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Dam8610

[Lip Man 1]

Literally anybody with absolutely zero connections to the White Sox and who had a major role in a consistently successful franchise...i.e. Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Rays, Brewers, Dodgers, Cardinals or Braves. 

[caulfield12]

Eric Neander Rays

Brandon Gomes Dodgers

Will Rhymes, Director of Player Development, LA Dodgers

If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because it is. Rhymes, 39, played for the Tigers from 2010-11. He was drafted by Detroit in the 27th round in 2005. He was the team’s starting second baseman in 2011. In two years with the Tigers, he slashed .283/.341/.370 with a .711 OPS.

He played 47 games for Tampa (again?) in 2012, putting up a .584 OPS. He played in the minors for the Washington Nationals in 2013 before calling it a career in 2014. Rhymes previously served as an assistant farm director for Los Angeles before being promoted to director of player development in 2019.

The fact that Rhymes played for the Tigers is already intriguing. The Tigers already have several members of their coaching staff, including Hinch, bench coach George Lombard, and third base coach Ramon Santiago, among others, that spent time in Detroit as players. Adding a GM that played for the Tigers would be pretty cool, and that fact the he also comes from the Dodgers is an added bonus.

The Dodgers have a loaded farm system pretty much every year. Even better, they have developed a track record of having players develop further after reaching the big leagues. A perfect example of this is Max Muncy. He was a nobody with the Oakland Athletics, then he comes to LA and hits 35 homers with a .973 OPS in 2018, which is before Rhymes was promoted to his current position, but it just goes to show how good the Dodgers are at developing players. He is also known for having one of the best eyes in the league, boasting a career walk rate of 15.1%.

 

Theo Epstein

someone from the SF Giants below their top 2

Jeffrey Luhnow

Matt Arnold, just started with the Brewers

Mike Chernoff/Chris Antonetti, Guardians

 

https://theathletic.com/3507311/2022/08/15/tigers-next-gm-candidates/

Edited August 24, 2023 by caulfield12

[The Beast]

David Stearns and anyone qualified to be a GM from Tampa Bay, Atlanta or the Dodgers. I would want as many scouts and teams as possible to model the team like the Rays - competitive almost every year on limited resources.

[Balta1701]

The obvious answer I always give is I don’t care, I have no special insight into the question, but want a solid process.

Bring in a search firm to contact numerous candidates around the league to gauge interest. Perhaps collect some application information about them.

Assemble a group of experienced consultants from diverse backgrounds throughout baseball. I literally don’t care if LaRussa is one of them, but several of them should be independent of the White Sox organization. 

Conduct a series of interviews. Gauge their interest, their goals, their philosophy, their experience, their background, their reaction to the current state of the White Sox.

Make sure your group of candidates is actually diverse, not pale white. These are GM candidates not Sox. 

Narrow your candidates down and conduct legitimate, professional background checks. 

Perhaps conduct a series of interviews with final candidates. 

Your final decision is then made after full consideration and open discussion amongst your panel members. The owner should be involved in these discussions at some point but they should also be given time to voice opinions when he is not present so as to avoid undue influence on the process.

Offer the best candidate a detailed 5 or 6 year deal with a competitive salary and well defined expectations, along with clear goals and evaluation targets that are tough but also fair.

I don’t know that Ryan Poles is the best GM in football, but the Chicago Bears followed this process 2 years ago and they’re not a model of management effectiveness. If they can do it, anyone can. 

Its not only how a professional billion dollar business would conduct these matters, it also sets a professional tone throughout your organization and makes your business operations look good.

[Vote4Pedro]

2 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Literally anybody with absolutely zero connections to the White Sox and who had a major role in a consistently successful franchise...i.e. Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Rays, Brewers, Dodgers, Cardinals or Braves. 

You mean to tell me that the Royals farm system of players coaches and old GMs don’t fit that criteria? Call me shocked….

[RibbieRubarb]

I feel the discussion starts with Kim Ng as President of Baseball Operations and it goes from there.
 

[Bob Sacamano]

James Click

[Quin]

9 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

James Click

This one.

Then see if he can convince Espada to come on as manager.

[Tnetennba]

If we are parallel universeing, I’m gonna chose the one where Jerry doesn’t buy the White Sox and run the franchise into the ground for forty years…

[Bob Sacamano]

4 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

If we are parallel universeing, I’m gonna chose the one where Jerry doesn’t buy the White Sox and run the franchise into the ground for forty years…

The Black Sox scandal doesn't happen, they go on to win a bunch of World Series since they didn't lose a bunch of players and are popular and become the Yankees of the Midwest.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Bob Sacamano

[bmags]

5 minutes ago, RibbieRubarb said:

I feel the discussion starts with Kim Ng as President of Baseball Operations and it goes from there.
 

I am a bit floored by this sentiment.

Their team is 2 back for the last wild card spot with 2 teams to leap. They are a few over .500.

They have been rebuilding this roster for 6 years now. 

Trying to look at what parts of the org are so admirable right now.

- 3 years in, they have a worse farm than the White Sox (26th overall)

     -  Highly touted draft picks like Khalil Watson regressed each year. The second 1st rounder they had, Joe Mack, is only their 22nd rated prospect and is struggling again.

    - They had the sixth overall pick in 2022, selected and here is the write-up:

Quote

June Update: Miami’s first-round pick from a year ago has had a rough go in pro ball. He struggled at Low-A in his pro debut and simply has not hit for either average or power after moving to High-A Beloit. About the only positive to draw is that he is not striking out at an alarming rate and has also taken his fair share of walks. Scouts who have seen him do not believe he will stick at third base, meaning even more pressure will be on his bat once he moves to first.

Their Free Agency period this year was a disaster.

Now, where she is good: trades.

- The Starling Marte for Jesus Luzardo trade was very good. He's great.

- Traded for Tanner Scott

- Traded for Luis Arraez

- Traded for AJ Puk whose been a good reliever.

But much of that staff she inherited. That team that came over from the yankees under Jeter were great at finding intl talent previously...and Ng is reaping the rewards. Eury Perez, Edward Cabrera, both part of an insane 2019 class.

I don't know, I'd take that previous marlins front office, personally. I thought that middle-decade yankees Front Office was pretty strong, and cashman has been struggling since they left for the marlins.

[bmags]

24 minutes ago, Quin said:

This one.

Then see if he can convince Espada to come on as manager.

the best part about james click is it means not having to act like the manager is this crucial part of the org, imo

[caulfield12]

16 minutes ago, bmags said:

the best part about james click is it means not having to act like the manager is this crucial part of the org, imo

Four managers that speak Spanish in a row plus Cairo and Montoya, not to mention Jose Abreu (if you added Espada)...yet nobody can get through to Eloy Grandal Moncada etc.

Character and work ethic is just as important as talent.

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by caulfield12

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

Luhnow for sure.

[caulfield12]

2 minutes ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

Luhnow for sure.

Cancún F.C.Edit

In May 2021, Luhnow had shown interest in acquiring a Mexican soccer team, during which time he was part of a group that negotiated the purchase of Atlético San Luis,^[21] although the purchase agreement did not materialize.^[22] Subsequently, in January 2022, Jeff Luhnow headed an investment fund that completed the purchase of the Mexican team Leganés that participates in the Liga de Expansión MX.^[23] The purchase was approved by the league owners' meeting on June 1, 2022, making it official.^[24]

CD LeganésEdit

On June 23, 2022 Luhnow bought Leganés of the LaLiga Smartbank through the company Blue Crow Sports.^[25][26

[Tnetennba]

38 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

The Black Sox scandal doesn't happen, they go on to win a bunch of World Series since they didn't lose a bunch of players and are popular and become the Yankees of the Midwest.

And the 1959 World Series becomes the blip outlier rare postseason loss instead of the single time they made it past the damned Yankees. 

[bmags]

16 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Four managers that speak Spanish in a row plus Cairo and Montoya, not to mention Jose Abreu (if you added Espada)...yet nobody can get through to Eloy Grandal Moncada etc.

Character and work ethic is just as important as talent.

 

Definitely weird. When I struggle with people at work I'm always floored since we all speak english. Strange we'd have any differences.