Having played baseball at a high level is a common, but decreasing trait of GMs. In 1989, eight GMs (27%) had played in the major leagues; that number decreased to seven (23%) by 1999 and went down to only 10%, or three GMs in 2009.
While most of the 1989 GMs had decidedly unspectacular major league careers, San Francisco Giants GM Al Rosen probably had the most distinguished career, amassing 192 home runs and 717 RBI in a ten-year career, including the 1953 American League MVP for a 43 home run, 145 RBI and .336 batting average campaign.
Of the 1999 GMs, Milwaukee Brewers GM Sal Bando was the most accomplished. In a 16 year career split between the Oakland Athletics and Brewers, Bando compiled 1,790 hits, 242 home runs and 1,039 RBI. A four-time all-star, he finished in the top five for MVP voting three times and was the Athletics’ third baseman on three consecutive World Series winners from 1972-74. 1999 and 2009 Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane was a highly touted prospect as the
23rd overall pick by the New York Mets in the 1980 amateur draft but only played in 148 career
games.
While only a minority of GMs ever played in the major leagues, many more did play in college or in the minor leagues. In 1989, 14 GMs (54%) had played in college, as compared to 20 GMs (67%) in 1999 and 18 GMs (60%) in 2009. So while having played in college still seems to be important among GMs, having played in the minor leagues appears less so. 14 GMs
(54%) in 1989 had played in the minor leagues, a number which increased to 15 or 50% of GMs in 1999. Yet, in 2009, only ten GMs (33%) ever played minor league baseball.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE Major Leagues Minor Leagues College
1989 7 (27%) 14 (54%) 14 (54%)
1999 7 (23%) 15 (50%) 20 (67%)
2009 3 (10%) 10 (33%) 18 (60%)
B. Coaching Experience
While the percentage of GMs with major league coaching experience has declined dramatically, from 19% (five GMs) in 1989 to 10% (three GMs) in 1999 and finally 0 in 2009, the percentage of GMs with college or minor league coaching experience has stayed fairly consistent: 19% (five GMs) in 1989 to 27% (eight GMs) in 1999 and back down to 23% (seven GMs) in 2009.
In 1989, three GMs had managerial experience, including Jim Frey of the Chicago Cubs who had led the Kansas City Royals to the 1980 World Series. In addition, Bobby Cox was GM of the Atlanta Braves, after having previously been the manager of the Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1990, he would return to manage the Braves, where he has been ever since, winning 14 division championships, five NL pennants and one World Series as the Braves manager. Jack McKeon was then the GM and manager of the San Diego Padres, having
previously managed the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. His most famous managerial feat was winning the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins. Of the 1999 GMs, only John Hart of the Cleveland Indians had managerial experience, having served 19 games as the Indians manager in 1989.
2009 Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry has the most extensive college coaching
background, having been the manager at Creighton University for eight seasons, compiling a 282-171-2 mark, including two NCAA tournament appearances.
COACHING EXPERIENCE Major Leagues Minors/College
1989 5 (19%) 5 (19%)
1999 3 (10%) 8 (27%)
C. Education
The academic achievements of GMs have increased since 1989, but not substantially. In 1989, 18 GMs (69%) had undergraduate degrees, while in 1999 and 2009, 24 GMs (80%) had a four-year degree. In both 1989 and 1999, only one GM had his degree from an Ivy League institution: Sandy Alderson, the GM of the Oakland Athletics in 1989, attended Dartmouth College and later earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1976; Jim Beattie, the Montreal Expos GM in 1999, also graduated from Dartmouth and later earned an MBA from the University of Washington.
In 2009, four GMs had Ivy League degrees, including Michael Hill (Florida Marlins), Jon Daniels (Texas Rangers), Mark Shapiro (Cleveland Indians) and Theo Epstein (Boston Red Sox). Hill graduated from Harvard in 1993, Daniels from Cornell in 1999 with a degree in applied economics and management, Shapiro from Princeton in 1989 with a degree in history and Epstein from Yale with a degree in American Studies in 1995.
There has been almost no change in the number of GMs with advanced degrees. In 1989, five GMs (19%) had such degrees, while in 1999 and in 2009 four GMs (13%) and five GMs (17%) had advanced degrees, respectively. In 1989, the GMs with advanced degrees were the Boston Red Sox’ Lou Gorman, (master’s degree from Bridgewater State College), the Oakland Athletics’ Sandy Alderson (law degree from Harvard), the New York Mets’ Frank Cashen (law degree from the University of Maryland), the Montreal Expos’ Bill Stoneman (master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma) and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Larry Doughty (master’s degree from Western Kentucky University).
In 1999, two GMs had law degrees including Ed Lynch of the Chicago Cubs (University of Miami) and Joe Garagiola Jr. of the Arizona Diamondbacks (Georgetown). In addition, Montreal Expos GM Jim Beattie held an MBA from the University of Washington and Houston Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker held a master’s degree from Florida International University.
In 2009, only one GM has a law degree, Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox (University of San Diego). Four GMs have athletic/sport related master’s degrees: Dayton Moore of the Kansas City Royals (master’s degree in athletic administration from George Mason University), Jack Zduriencik of the Seattle Mariners (master’s degree in physical education from Austin Peay
Biscayne College) and Neal Huntington of the Pittsburgh Pirates (master’s of science in sport management from UMass-Amherst).
EDUCATION Undergraduate Ivy League Advanced Degree
1989 18 (69%) 1 (4%) 5 (19%)
1999 24 (80%) 1 (3%) 4 (13%)
2009 24 (80%) 4 (13%) 5 (17%)
D. Age
Not surprisingly the average age of GMs and the average age at which GMs obtain their position for the first time has decreased over the years. In 1989 the average age of a GM was 52.2, with Frank Cashen of the New York Mets holding senior status at 67. While six GMs were over 60, only one GM was under 40, the Minnesota Twins’ Andy MacPhail was 36. The average age at which a GM in 1989 became a GM was 46.3. Both Jim Frey and Al Rosen were 57 when they first became a GM, the oldest of the group. MacPhail was the youngest hiree at 32 in 1985. Only three other GMs were hired while in their 30s: Sandy Alderson of the Oakland Athletics (36), Thomas Grieve of Texas Rangers (37) and Harry Dalton of the Milwaukee Brewers (38).
The average of a GM in 1999 was 45.8, while the average age at which a GM first became a GM was 41.1. The oldest GMs were Herk Robinson of the Kansas City Royals and John Schuerholz of the Atlanta Braves, both 59. The youngest GM was 32 year-old Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees, who became GM a year earlier at 31. While no GMs were over 60, five were under 40. Randy Smith of the Detroit Tigers became a GM in 1993 at the age of 30, while Schuerholz waited until he was 53 in 1993 before becoming a GM for the first time.
The average age of a 2009 GM actually increased from 1999 to 47.1. However, the average age at which a GM earned his title for the first time decreased to 39.7. There were no GMs over 60 and five under 40. The youngest GMs are Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers and Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Bay Rays at 32, both of whom were hired as GM when they were 29. In total, 14 GMs were hired when they were under the age of 40, while only three GMs were hired for the first time while over the age of 50: Jack Zduriencik of the Seattle Mariners (58), Ned Colletti of the Los Angeles Dodgers (51) and Bill Smith of the Minnesota Twins (50).
Contributing to the average increase in age of the GMs is the fact that nine GMs in 2009 were also GMs in 1999, four of them with the same team as in 1999, including Brian Cashman (New York Yankees), Brian Sabean (San Francisco Giants), Kevin Towers (San Diego Padres)
and Billy Beane (Oakland Athletics). The five GMs that had moved on to other teams include Doug Melvin (Texas Rangers to Milwaukee Brewers), Ed Wade (Philadelphia Phillies to
Houston Astros), Walt Jocketty (St. Louis Cardinals to Cincinnati Reds), Frank Wren (Baltimore Orioles to Atlanta Braves) and Dave Dombrowski (Florida Marlins to Detroit Tigers). Also, Andy MacPhail, 2009 GM of the Baltimore Orioles, not a GM in 1999, was the GM of the Minnesota Twins in 1989. The only carry over GM from 1989 to 1999 was John Schuerholz of the Atlanta Braves.
AGE Average Age Age When GM for First Time Under 40 Over 60
1989 52.2 46.3 1 (4%) 6 (23%)
1999 45.8 41.1 5 (17%) 0 (0%)
2009 47.1 39.8 5 (17%) 0 (0%)
E. Gender/Race
In 1989 and 1999 all the GMs in Major League Baseball were white males. In 2009, there were five minority GMs, including three African-Americans, Ken Williams (Chicago White Sox), Tony Reagins (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and Michael Hill (Florida Marlins). The other two minority GMs are Hispanic, including Ruben Amaro Jr. (Philadelphia Phillies) and Omar Minaya (New York Mets).
The highest ranking women in baseball include two assistant general managers: Jean Afterman of the New York Yankees and Kim Ng of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ng interviewed for the vacant Dodgers GM position in 2005 and also for the Mariners GM position in 2008. In addition, there are three female Directors on Baseball Administration, including Pam Pitts of the Oakland Athletics, Wendy Hoppel of the Cleveland Indians and Susan Ingersoll Papaneri of the Philadelphia Phillies.
RACE White Black Hispanic Asian
1989 26 (100%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
1999 30 (100%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
F. Family Ties
While having strong family connections in professional baseball can certainly help, there is no evidence that it is or has ever been necessary to become a General Manager in Major League Baseball. In 1989, only two GM’s had strong family connections, Andy MacPhail of the Minnesota Twins and Bob Quinn of the New York Yankees. MacPhail’s father, Lee MacPhail spent 45 years in baseball, as GM for both the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees and he also spent 10 years as the American League President; he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. Quinn’s grandfather, J.A. Quinn was GM of four major league clubs and his father John was GM of the Boston Braves from 1935 to 1958 and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1959 to 1972. The MacPhail family will be discussed in greater detail later in this section.
1999 saw a higher incidence of family connections: four of the 30 GMs had strong family connections, including Randy Smith (Detroit Tigers), Bill Bavasi (Anaheim Angels), Cam Bonifay (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Joe Garagiola Jr. (Arizona Diamondbacks).
Smith’s father, Tal, has worked in baseball since 1962 and is currently the President of the Houston Astros, from whom he was GM from 1976 to 1980. Bavasi’s father, Buzzie Bavasi, served as general manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, founding
president and part-owner of the San Diego Padres, and general manager of the California Angels. In addition, Bill’s brother, Peter Bavasi, also worked in baseball, as general manager of the San Diego Padres, founding president of the Toronto Blue Jays, and president of the Cleveland Indians. During his time with the Indians, Peter also served on Major League Baseball's Executive Council.
Bonifay’s father, Bob, was an executive in the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds organizations for over 25 years. Garagiola Jr.’s father, Joe Sr., was a major league catcher for nine seasons, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he won the 1946 World Series. After his playing career, Garagiola Sr. went on to a very successful broadcasting career: he worked national broadcasts of games, including several World Series, for NBC for almost 30 years.
In 2009, only three GMs had strong family connections to the game: MacPhail, now the GM of the Baltimore Orioles, Mark Shapiro (Cleveland Indians) and Ruben Amaro Jr. (Philadelphia Phillies). Shapiro’s father, Ron Shapiro, is a prominent sports player agent. His list of past clients includes Hall of Famers Cal Ripken, Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Kirby
Puckett, and Eddie Murray. Ron has also been included on The Sporting News’ list of “100 Most Powerful People in Sports.” Ruben Amaro Sr. played 11 seasons in the major leagues as a utility infielder, most notably for the Philadelphia Phillies.
FAMILY TIES IN BASEBALL
1989 2 (8%)
1999 5 (17%)
2009 3 (10%)
i. The MacPhails86
One of the most well-known families throughout the history of the game of baseball is the MacPhails. Leland (Larry) MacPhail, Sr. began working in baseball as the president of the Columbus Red Birds of the American Association in 1931. Larry operated the team and eventually sold it to Branch Rickey, Vice President and GM of the St. Louis Cardinals at the time, as an addition to their growing farm system. When Rickey fired Larry in 1933, he became GM of the Cincinnati Reds, his title until 1936. Larry would later continue as an executive for the Dodgers, enter the military as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army during World War II, and then re-enter baseball once again in 1945 as part-time owner of the New York Yankees. During his brief stint as GM, Larry became known as “the great traveler of baseball.” He
understood the need to look for talent in all places. During the early 20th century, the GM was
very “hands on” and was responsible for all facets of the business, including both scouting and player development. “When the quality of performance wasn’t to Larry’s liking, he made it very clear that he was the boss and the players were the hired hands.”
Larry tried to mimic Rickey’s belief in a large affiliate system as an executive with the Dodgers in 1939 when they controlled 12 minor league affiliates. General mangers throughout the game saw the need to look outside the box and implemented strategies to gain a competitive advantage. This strategy was an important step in framing the farm systems of today; however, organizations have since been limited to a pre-defined number of affiliates in order to sustain competitive balance.
Many GMs of the 1940s were not only involved with player personnel decisions, but also were responsible for driving fans to through the turnstiles. Larry organized kids’ clubs,
executive and GM, he felt obligated to grow the appeal for both the Dodgers and Major League Baseball.
Larry’s son, Leland (Lee) MacPhail Jr., disobeyed his father’s wishes to stay away from baseball and ended up as GM of a Baltimore Orioles and served as the head of the Player Relations Committee. However, Lee’s first job was GM of the Kansas City Blues of the
American Association, which was followed by his first position in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees in the late 1940s. Lee began as a farm director for the Yankees and organized tryouts and instructional camps, just as today’s Farm Directors, Scouts, and Field Coordinators do. Throughout his tenure in MLB, Lee witnessed the game transform into the big business it is today. While the business of baseball has grown, Lee has understood the
importance of having a variety of skill sets. For instance, as GM of the Baltimore Orioles he had to convince the public to support the Orioles like they had supported the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League. Lee commented on his public appearances as follows:
“In my new position I was suddenly called upon to do a lot of public speaking, and at first I was very nervous about it. I used stories to add humor to my remarks. I found out that if I could get my listeners to laugh, it relaxed me, and I got along better.”
Like his father before him, Lee had to sell the game to the public and entice fans to support the team and the game. Such GMs were pioneers for the business of the game as well as the players. The son of Lee MacPhail, Andy MacPhail witnessed one of the greatest eras of change of all the MacPhails as a business manager of the Chicago Cubs organization, during the time of Messersmith McNally, free agency and salary arbitration.
“I was lucky with my last name being MacPhail. There were some doors that were open for me. But I think that the biggest plus for myself, and some of the younger people who are in baseball management now, were the rule changes. In 1976, when I started, it was the first year of free agency. That meant free agency, arbitration, and the new way of doing baseball business was something I was a rookie at, but so was the entire business of baseball.”
G. Career Path
One of the clearest trends among MLB GMs is how the average career path has changed: while in 1989 13 GMs (50%) had began their careers working in minor league baseball; that
number decreased dramatically to only one GM (3%) in 1999 and three GMs (10%) in 2009. The only GM in 1999 who began his career in the minors was Detroit Tigers GM Randy Smith who began as an administrative assistant with the Beaumont Golden Gators, then the AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres, in 1984. Of the 2009 GMs, Andy MacPhail of the Baltimore Orioles began his career in 1976 as the business manager for the Chicago Cubs Gulf Coast League team. Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi began his career as a minor league coach after his playing career ended. Lastly, Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry got his professional baseball career started as a minor league manager in the Florida Marlins organization after a successful college
coaching career.
While the path to the GMs office may no longer go through the minor leagues, nearly all GMs have held some kind of scouting or talent evaluation position prior to becoming GM, although it should be noted that the exact duties of each GM in their prior positions is difficult to ascertain. In 1989, 21 GMs (81%) had experience in talent evaluation, a figure that only
increased in 1999 to 26 GMs (87%) and to 27 GMs (90%) in 2007.
Nevertheless, several of the GMs without experience in talent evaluation presided over World Series champions: of the 1989 GMs, New York Mets GM Frank Cashen led the Mets to the title in 1986, Los Angeles Dodgers GM Fred Claire helped the Dodgers to the 1988
championship and Oakland Athletics GM Sandy Alderson helped guide the Athletics to the 1989 title.
Of the 1999 GMs, Gord Ash of the Toronto Blue Jays was Assistant GM when the Blue Jays won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993. Also, Joe Garagiola Jr. led the Arizona
Diamondbacks to the 2001 trophy despite having never had any experience as a talent evaluator. The only GMs in 2009 to lack talent evaluation experience include Ed Wade of the Houston Astros, Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers and Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox, who have won two World Series championships in his tenure.
Another trend amongst GMs has been the decrease of extensive non-baseball business experience. While in 1989 six GMs (23%) had worked extensively outside of baseball, in 1999, only two (7%) had and in 2009 only one GM (3%) had.
After serving a tour of duty as a marine in Vietnam, Sandy Alderson attended Harvard Law School and worked for five years as an attorney in San Francisco before joining the
Amongst the 1989 GMs, Milwaukee Brewers GM Harry Dalton, New York Mets GM Frank Cashen and Los Angeles Dodgers GM Fred Claire had all previously worked as
sportswriters.
Amongst the 1989 GMs, two former players spent time working for financial institutions