Mariners Name Zduriencik GM -- Latest: Blengino, McNamara Join Him (reply #123)

[And That]

Link.

This could be a huge blow for the Brewers. Just like the last few jobs he's been up for, I hope we dodge another bullet.

Of course he's sure deserving of a shot, IMO.

 

Edit: For what it's worth, he's between 10 and 18 years older than the other three candidates. All four candidates would be first-time GMs, so he's not going against anyone with more experience.

[owbc]

I'll be happy for him if he gets the job. It's inevitable.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I'll be happy for him if he gets the job. It's inevitable.

 

It is inevitable indeed. Selfishly, it would be nice to get through one more year with Jack Z, given all the draft choices we may have next year. For Seattle, he would be perfect...they are overburdened with bad contracts and have a decimated farm system. They need to start from the ground up...who better than Jack. We were lucky the Pirates didn't hire him last year...big mistake on their part.

[colbyjack]

USS Mariner seems to think Tony LaCava is the best fit:

 

http://ussmariner.com/200...0/16/lacava-dipoto-or-ng/

[bklynbrewcrew]

If it comes down to losing Jack Z or Melvin I would rather let Melvin walk. I think Doug has done a good job overall but Jack Z is the guy most responsible for this teams success. If I were Mark A I would do everything possible to keep Jack in the fold.

[patrickgpe]

i agree that Zduriencik has been more responsible for the teams success, that doens't mean i'd just let Jack Z be the GM and let Melvin walk. Bottom line is Melvin has extensive GM experience, has pulled off some huge trades. Zduriencik has a great eye for talent and is an excellent scouting director. I don't see that being a direct correlation to being a great GM. There are money decisions in the horizon for the brewers and I'd rather let Doug make them then Jack.

 

without the extensive knowledge of the brewers farm system as others on this board, would Reid Nichols be a logical replacement for Jack?

[brewmann04]

what could be worse is that he might take some of his scouts under him to the Pacfic Northwest

[And That]

without the extensive knowledge of the brewers farm system as others on this board, would Reid Nichols be a logical replacement for Jack?

No... Nichols' background is in development and operations, not really scouting. If the Brewers promoted from within, I'd think it would likely either be Assistant Scouting Director Tony Blengino, or a national crosschecker, such as Jeff Cornell or Tom McNamara.

[colbyjack]

i agree that Zduriencik has been more responsible for the teams success, that doens't mean i'd just let Jack Z be the GM and let Melvin walk. Bottom line is Melvin has extensive GM experience, has pulled off some huge trades. Zduriencik has a great eye for talent and is an excellent scouting director. I don't see that being a direct correlation to being a great GM. There are money decisions in the horizon for the brewers and I'd rather let Doug make them then Jack.

 

I agree 100%. If Doug Melvin were to walk, I don't think I would want to see an inexperienced GM take over to try and sustain the team's success coming off of the team's first playoff appearance in 26 years. That just doesn't seem like a good recipe for success to me, and that isn't meant to criticize Zduriencik at all. Jack Z. IMO is more likely to land a job like the one in Seattle or the one he was passed up for in Pittsburgh last year where the focus will be to start grooming talent from the ground up while also allowing for more on the job training.

 

I would guess that the Brewers would be more likely to pursue someone like Pat Gillick should Melvin depart, which doesn't sound as though it will become as issue per Haudricourt.

[Ennder]

I'm fine with Jack Z and I think he has done a good job overall but he is far from perfect too. Considering how many top end draft picks we've had during his years he hasn't really picked many successful pitchers and he has gone way too heavy on no D high SLG hitters. I don't want to lose him but I don't think it is a crippling blow if we do or anything either.

[endaround]

As to whether Jack Z is destined to get a GM job, not really. He is 57 in a position that now highly favors younger people. And if he reaches 60 without getting a GM job it probably won't happen even when teams are looking specifically for youth.

[jwaltz]

He's facing some stiff competition for the job. Ng, DiPoto, and LaCava are all strong candidates. Kim Ng would be the first female GM.

[JJHardy7]

Does anyone know how much money Jack Z makes and how it compares to others in his field right now?

[joepepsi]

Well, good luck to him, if he wants it. The Seattle job should be one of the best in the business. They have tons of cash, good fan base, great stadium, and a division that's not terribly tough.

[RightFieldCoder]

Does anyone know how much money Jack Z makes and how it compares to others in his field right now?

I doubt that information is out there. When the Brewers were audited a number of years ago (2003ish) there was outrage that it was not public. Rick Schlesinger told me it was because they want to keep the salaries of the front staff secret. Just like other companies, they don't want to let the competition know what price would entice them away.

[And That]

From what little information is out there, the highest paid GMs seem to make around $2 million a year, though more were closer to around $1 million.

 

Assuming Melvin makes about $1 million, would Jack Z. maybe make half his salary? 3/4? 1/4? Somewhere in there would be my best guess. How that relates to other scouting directors, I couldn't be certain. Zduriencik probably makes above median given his status, and would almost definitely get a sizable raise if he were to become a GM.

[endaround]

I think Cashman is the highest paid at $2m per year (Theo's salary could be higher). In general GMs seem to be underpaid, especially in relation to managers, considering how important they are. Mostly due to the fact that there are so many people willing to take the job.

[BrewCrewForever]

It would suck to see Jack go with all the great drafting and scouting he has done for us. But man he sure deserves a shot somewhere. I mean when you are not a GM and win the exec of the year award in MLB. That is special

[patrickgpe]

while he deserves a chance, i'd like to see him run another draft with up to 6 picks in the first 2 rounds.

[azcheesehead]

I just talked with Jack on Tuesday in Maryvale. I was watching an instructional league game and he came up and sat by me and my friend, realized we were from WI and struck up a good 35 minute convo. At the end of the convo he got us two signed Lawrie balls. He's a nice man that IMO is the key reason the Brewers are where we are right now. It sure hasn't been due to DM's free agent signings. We've done it with homegrown talent that Jack Z has handpicked.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I just talked with Jack on Tuesday in Maryvale. I was watching an instructional league game and he came up and sat by me and my friend, realized we were from WI and struck up a good 35 minute convo. At the end of the convo he got us two signed Lawrie balls. He's a nice man that IMO is the key reason the Brewers are where we are right now. It sure hasn't been due to DM's free agent signings. We've done it with homegrown talent that Jack Z has handpicked.

This is exactly why Jack Z is more important than Melvin. Without his drafting acumen this team is nowhere. If it came down to Jack Z or Doug I would keep Jack in the fold.

[Invader3K]

The guy is going to leave eventually. Melvin is probably going to stay on as GM. Yes, it would be nice if he sticks around one more year, but people around here need to accept that Jack Zduriencik will be gone sooner than later.

[PilprinBuddha]

Mark A should invest some seriou $ in Jack Z. Possibly as much as a GM would make. Jack and Doug are better together that apart.

[Postseason2006]

I guess I am in the minority also and have yet to see how great Melvin has been. He has one good trade in his pocketbook so far and that was Lee for Pods. I don't see any other trade where Melvin got returns for value that make him a "great" GM. The CC trade was only made because of great farm depth due to Z not Melvin.

 

He's picked a couple guys of the scrap heap but when you are a smaller market team, that is what you do.

 

He's not the worst GM, but the idol worship for getting us 1 whole postseason win since he's been here is disappointing. He stuck with a bad manager for two years to long and that only should've been the outright reason for removal.

[yfinn6]

Postseason, what about the Sexson deal? Was that not Melvin or was that someone else, all of a sudden I can't remember.

 

I would think that was a pretty good trade for us, maybe not to the level of the Pods/Lee deal.