http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=70561
Roland Hemond has been a baseball executive for 55 years. It’s hard to make
an impression on a man who’s seen so much, but Hemond still remembers the
17-year-old kid who applied for a job as an intern with the Baltimore Orioles
in 1988.
"He met with some other people, and when I talked to him, I was very impressed
,” said Hemond, now an executive adviser to Chicago White Sox general manager
Kenny Williams. “I thought we were going to hire him.”
The kid didn’t get the job, but Hemond recalls thinking that the teenager
had the makings of a good baseball man.
Josh Byrnes proved him right.
This is the time of year when general managers are baseball’s lead actors.
The trading deadline is Monday, and the moves made could define the final two
months of the season.
It’s the first deadline Byrnes has faced as the Diamondbacks general manager,
but if his first nine months on the job are any indication, the franchise is
in good hands.
Byrnes has had a superb rookie season. He’s made seven deals and only two of
them — utility infielder Alex Cintron to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher
Jeff Bajenaru and pitcher Brad Halsey to the Oakland A’s for Juan Cruz —
haven’t worked out decidedly in the Diamondbacks’ favor.
He dumped the cumbersome contracts of Troy Glaus and Javier Vazquez while
getting in return the Diamondbacks’ No. 2 starter (Miguel Batista), a Gold
Glove second baseman (Orlando Hudson), a top prospect (outfielder Chris Young)
and a steady bullpen arm (Luis Vizcaino). He turned the other part of the
Vazquez deal — pitcher Orlando Hernandez — into closer Jorge Julio.
Three of his free agent signings — Eric Byrnes, Damion Easley and Jeff DaVanon
— have been key contributors this season. He’s locked up ace Brandon Webb
and third baseman Chad Tracy to long-term deals — one agent said the
Diamondbacks got “a steal” in signing Webb to a four-year, $19.25 million
contract — and he gave the franchise some much-needed stability by giving
manager Bob Melvin a two-year extension at a time when Melvin’s future was
perceived to be in jeopardy.
“I think he’s done a terrific job so far,” Hemond said.
Along the way, Byrnes has discarded some of the preconceived notions about him.
He was considered to be a sabermatrician, a GM more comfortable with
statistical analysis than scouting reports.
Byrnes does appreciate the information his computer spits out, but he’s also
old-school in the sense that he values what he sees with his own eyes. It’s
why he sits with scouts in the front-row seats behind home plate rather than
in the GM’s box upstairs.
“I’ve always done that,” Byrnes said. “You see the game the best from
there.”
Melvin said he knew after his first meeting with Byrnes that what he heard
about the GM didn’t jibe with what he was hearing from him.
“I found out he’s not just a numbers guy,” Melvin said. “He’s been a
scouting director. He appreciates the dynamic of what happens on the field,
player makeup, the sort of things that don’t show up in stats and box scores.”
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti believes Byrnes might have been typecast because of his
age (36) and the fact that he worked under Boston GM Theo Epstein.
“He understands the game and how it works,” Colletti said. “You wouldn’t
have a job like this if you didn’t have a feel for the entire game and the
business.”
Byrnes’people skills also were questioned upon his hiring by the Diamondbacks
, but those who work with him here have nothing but good things to say — even
off the record — about the way he deals with everyone from scouts to players.
In fact, one of Byrnes’ strengths is his willingness to listen to — and
consider — others’ opinions. Like his mentor, former Cleveland Indians GM
John Hart, Byrnes wants to hear what everybody has to say before making up his
own mind.
“I’ve always had sort of an insatiable appetite for information from all
ends,” Byrnes said. “At the end of the day, my filter splices and dices and
decides what’s relevant.”
Byrnes’ leadership style became evident at the winter meetings. The
Diamondbacks’ brain trust spent so much time talking about players and
potential deals that they never ate a meal outside their hotel room.
“He welcomes discussion, disagreements, arguments at whatever level because
he knows he can hold his own in a discussion about a player’s abilities,”
said Mike Rizzo, who resigned Monday as the Diamondbacks’vice president of
scouting to accept an assistant GM job with the Washington Nationals. “He’s
not afraid of people disagreeing with him.”
Said Melvin: “There are no snap decisions. He’s not shooting from the hip.
You think about it, for a young guy who’s never done this before, it’s a
pretty smart way to go about your business.”
Joe Garagiola Jr. often did Jerry Colangelo’s bidding during his 10 years as
the Diamondbacks GM, but it’s clear that Byrnes is running the show. It was
his decision to extend Melvin’s contract. His call on the trades. And it’s h
is voice that is shaping the franchise. Byrnes understands that while the
Diamondbacks are in contention for the National League West division title,
they’re a flawed ballclub that can only go so far. He will not forfeit the
organization’s top prospects for a futile chase at glory this season.
“We know who we are,” he said. Byrnes’ self-assuredness doesn’t scream at
you. He talks quietly, with a shy smile on his face, as if he’s uncomfortable
in the spotlight. But he has great conviction in his ability and his beliefs.
“I think I’ve wanted to do this since I was 12,” he said. “The notion of
trades and how teams are put together was always interesting to me. But I had
no idea what the job was all about.” He does now. And for that, Diamondbacks
fans can be thankful.
Josh Byrnes’ significant moves
Arizona’s rookie general manager joined the team nine months ago.
Dec. 7 — Acquires catcher Johnny Estrada from Atlanta for pitchers Lance
Cormier and Oscar Villarreal.
Dec. 15 — Signs infielder Damion Easley as a free agent.
Dec. 20 — Acquires pitchers Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino and outfielder
Chris Young from White Sox for pitcher Javier Vazquez and cash considerations.
Dec. 27 — Acquires pitcher Miguel Batista and infielder Orlando Hudson from
Blue Jays for Troy Glaus and Sergio Santos.
Dec. 27 — Signs Eric Byrnes as a free agent.
Jan. 8 — Signs pitcher Terry Mulholland as a free agent.
Jan. 13 — Pitcher Brandon Webb agrees to four-year, $19.25 million contract
extension.
Feb. 7 — Signs outfielder Jeff DaVanon as a free agent.
Feb. 28 — Acquires infielder Alberto Callaspo from Los Angeles Angels for
pitcher Jason Bulger.
March 8 — Trades infielder Alex Cintron to Chicago White Sox for pitcher Jeff
Bajenaru.
March 26 — Trades pitcher Brad Halsey to the Oakland Athletics for pitcher
Juan Cruz
May 15 — Third baseman Chad Tracy agrees to three-year, $13.25 million
contract extension.
May 25 — Acquires pitcher Jorge Julio from New York Mets for pitcher Orlando
Hernandez
July 10 — Manager Bob Melvin agrees to two-year contract extension
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