BRAVEONAWARPATH
07-30-2009, 12:42 PM
By Phil Wood
http://masnsports.com/2009/07/whats-up-with-rizzo.html
I went out to Oriole Park this afternoon to chat with a couple of scouts I know about the upcoming trade deadline, and I got the same greeting from both men.
"What's going on with Rizzo in D.C.?"
I explained to both guys - one AL scout, one NL scout, both veterans - in separate conversations that I really didn't know what Mike's status was, but that I'd heard the front office would undergo some shuffling this next fall and winter.
I also told them I'd heard that Gerry Hunsicker, Senior VP of baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays had been contacted about the job. They'd heard the same thing.
Hunsicker, formerly the GM of the Houston Astros, has been given a lot of credit for the Rays' rapid transformation from tailender to contender. He's largely responsible for establishing Tampa Bay's presence in the international market.
There's no question that Hunsicker's a sharp executive, but I've also heard that he's occasionally a handful to work with.
Haven't the Nationals already experienced that in a GM?
You'd be hard-pressed to find an executive any more respected than Mike Rizzo. He's a baseball man's baseball man, and every scout I've encountered this season has sung his praises.
"Look at the talent this guy has drafted for Washington," the AL scout said. "And the trade with Pittsburgh was outstanding." Certainly Nyjer Morgan has made an impact on this team, but this guy came back to the draft. "Washington has so many good arms throughout their system," he said, "they're not going to be doormats for long."
"What else does Riz have to do to lose the interim tag?", said the NL scout. "Taking over that job under those circumstances during spring training? Somebody needs to explain to me how he could've done any better cleaning up the mess Bowden left behind."
For the past 3 years various scouts have told me that when Rizzo came on board after the franchise was awarded to the Lerner group in 2006, he was to be the new GM of the fledgling franchise. Jim Bowden, however, had so ingratiated himself with incoming ownership, they decided, to their ultimate regret, to stay the course.
I know the club has gone on record saying they owe it to the town and the franchise to take their time selecting a permanent General Manager. On the other hand, if it's true that the uncertainty over their ultimate choice is creating issues with draft picks and their agents, now might be the ideal time to make a commitment.
I can't imagine Mike Rizzo sticking around if he's passed over, and that would be a tremendous loss, in my opinion.
One last thing: Isn't it interesting that the first guy to express an interest in running the Nats after the move from Montreal was announced was Pat Gillick? After Bud Selig passed him over for Jim Bowden, he moved on to Philadelphia, where he had some kind of success, apparently.
Think things might've been a tad different in Washington?
http://masnsports.com/2009/07/whats-up-with-rizzo.html
I went out to Oriole Park this afternoon to chat with a couple of scouts I know about the upcoming trade deadline, and I got the same greeting from both men.
"What's going on with Rizzo in D.C.?"
I explained to both guys - one AL scout, one NL scout, both veterans - in separate conversations that I really didn't know what Mike's status was, but that I'd heard the front office would undergo some shuffling this next fall and winter.
I also told them I'd heard that Gerry Hunsicker, Senior VP of baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays had been contacted about the job. They'd heard the same thing.
Hunsicker, formerly the GM of the Houston Astros, has been given a lot of credit for the Rays' rapid transformation from tailender to contender. He's largely responsible for establishing Tampa Bay's presence in the international market.
There's no question that Hunsicker's a sharp executive, but I've also heard that he's occasionally a handful to work with.
Haven't the Nationals already experienced that in a GM?
You'd be hard-pressed to find an executive any more respected than Mike Rizzo. He's a baseball man's baseball man, and every scout I've encountered this season has sung his praises.
"Look at the talent this guy has drafted for Washington," the AL scout said. "And the trade with Pittsburgh was outstanding." Certainly Nyjer Morgan has made an impact on this team, but this guy came back to the draft. "Washington has so many good arms throughout their system," he said, "they're not going to be doormats for long."
"What else does Riz have to do to lose the interim tag?", said the NL scout. "Taking over that job under those circumstances during spring training? Somebody needs to explain to me how he could've done any better cleaning up the mess Bowden left behind."
For the past 3 years various scouts have told me that when Rizzo came on board after the franchise was awarded to the Lerner group in 2006, he was to be the new GM of the fledgling franchise. Jim Bowden, however, had so ingratiated himself with incoming ownership, they decided, to their ultimate regret, to stay the course.
I know the club has gone on record saying they owe it to the town and the franchise to take their time selecting a permanent General Manager. On the other hand, if it's true that the uncertainty over their ultimate choice is creating issues with draft picks and their agents, now might be the ideal time to make a commitment.
I can't imagine Mike Rizzo sticking around if he's passed over, and that would be a tremendous loss, in my opinion.
One last thing: Isn't it interesting that the first guy to express an interest in running the Nats after the move from Montreal was announced was Pat Gillick? After Bud Selig passed him over for Jim Bowden, he moved on to Philadelphia, where he had some kind of success, apparently.
Think things might've been a tad different in Washington?