Seattle Times article blasts Mariners' front office, especially Zduriencik

[owbc]

I originally put this in the Cano thread, but it's going to be a big story tomorrow:

 

Judging by this new article in the Seattle Times, the Mariners might have the most dysfunctional front office in baseball, perhaps worse than even the Marlins:

 

http://seattletimes.com/html/mariners/2022420240_mariners08xml.html

 

The article includes quotes from former manager Eric Wedge and former Milwaukee Brewers' assistant Tony Blengino, who worked under Jack Zduriencik in Milwaukee.

 

Blengino, who was working for the Milwaukee Brewers with Zduriencik at the time, said he authored virtually the entire job application package Zduriencik gave the Mariners in 2008, depicting a dual-threat candidate melding traditional scouting with advanced statistical analysis.

 

Blengino said he prepared the package because he was versed in the hot trend of using advanced stats for team decisions.

 

“Jack portrayed himself as a scouting/stats hybrid because that’s what he needed to get the job,” Blengino said. “But Jack never has understood one iota about statistical analysis. To this day, he evaluates hitters by homers, RBI and batting average and pitchers by wins and ERA. Statistical analysis was foreign to him. But he knew he needed it to get in the door.”

 

Wow.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

If it's true then wow. Maybe we gave too much credit to Zduriencik.

[trwi7]

He was the scouting director here. How can we give him too much credit when he was responsible for Braun, Hardy, Gallardo, Fielder, Weeks, Hart etc.? Sure he sucks as a GM but he wasn't doing that here.

[RightFieldCoder]

Many didn't want Z to leave. There were even suggestions to fire DM and make Z the GM. If reports are correct, DM and not Z is responsible for Gallardo.

 

Blengino said Zduriencik became obsessed with power hitters, ignoring defense, baserunning and roster construction.

This is the part that stuck out to me. This seems to describe the Brewers.

[sveumrules]

Maybe the Brewers should look into rehiring Blengino if someone else hasn't already, sounds like he was responsible for at least some of Jack Z's success as his long time SABR right hand man, with the obvious caveat of "according to him".

[fallingleaves]

That was a great article. Clearly, Seattle is a mess, and the Cano signing is another indication of that.

[dlk9s]

I was just coming to post the Deadspin writeup of this. Fogeys are funny.

[owbc]

He was the scouting director here. How can we give him too much credit when he was responsible for Braun, Hardy, Gallardo, Fielder, Weeks, Hart etc.? Sure he sucks as a GM but he wasn't doing that here.

 

I think the implication of the article is that his success in Milwaukee may have been simply because he had the right people working underneath him. In Seattle, he attitude changed or caught up to him or whatever, and he started marginalizing staff members and building a secluded inner circle. Eventually some of his disgruntled former staff started talking to the media, and there you go.

[jerichoholicninja]

I know it's been said here before but he drafted Weeks (2), Braun (5), and Fielder (7) with high first round picks. Picks that, in theory, shouldn't be hard to make. What did he do the rest of the draft? Not much. Corey Hart in the 11th, Lucroy in the 3rd, Gallardo in the 2nd. He hit on a few of his top 10 picks but nothing else really.

[RobertR]

I know it's been said here before but he drafted Weeks (2), Braun (5), and Fielder (7) with high first round picks. Picks that, in theory, shouldn't be hard to make. What did he do the rest of the draft? Not much. Corey Hart in the 11th, Lucroy in the 3rd, Gallardo in the 2nd. He hit on a few of his top 10 picks but nothing else really.

 

Hardy should be included as a hit.

[BallFour]

This article definitely was saved for the opportune time aka after the franchise makes a huge signing of Cano. Really have to wonder what Tony Bleningo is doing going to the press good luck getting another job when you throw your boss under the bus like that. And don't tell me the owner wouldn't fire Zduriencik just because he doesn't want the franchise to go through more turnover because it wants to save face to the public. Weak excuse by the author of the article.

 

As for Zduriencik as our scouting director him failing to hit on any starting pitching and I mean ANYBODY besides Gallardo was the downfall of remaining consistent contenders. Oh well its not like Seid has corrected the problem really.

[SRB]

There are zero GMs in baseball who are stats guys. The question is whether they are willing to listen to stats guys below them or not, and it seems like Jack Z at least was, so I don't know what the big deal is really. Andrew Friedman isn't in his office coming up with statistical models either.

 

I think Jack Z's success as Brewers scouting director is beyond dispute. I kind of wish we would go back to the "error" of drafting power hitters with no defense if the alternative is drafting disappointing/mediocre college pitchers every year.

[owbc]

There are zero GMs in baseball who are stats guys. The question is whether they are willing to listen to stats guys below them or not, and it seems like Jack Z at least was, so I don't know what the big deal is really.

 

According to the article, Jack Z did the complete opposite, he berated Blengino in front of his superiors when he made statistically-based presentations.

 

I don't doubt the track record of Jack Z in Milwaukee--but it's clear from the Mariners' trades and personnel decisions that upper management does not value advanced statistical analysis. Maybe Zduriencik did in Milwaukee. We don't know. Maybe he just did whatever his scouts told him without understanding the reasons.

 

Obviously there are plenty of GMs who know statistical analysis well enough to get the idea. The GM doesn't crunch the numbers but he has to know what to do with them.

[SRB]

According to the article, Jack Z did the complete opposite, he berated Blengino in front of his superiors when he made statistically-based presentations.

 

I don't doubt the track record of Jack Z in Milwaukee--but it's clear from the Mariners' trades and personnel decisions that upper management does not value advanced statistical analysis. Maybe Zduriencik did in Milwaukee. We don't know. Maybe he just did whatever his scouts told him without understanding the reasons.

 

Obviously there are plenty of GMs who know statistical analysis well enough to get the idea. The GM doesn't crunch the numbers but he has to know what to do with them.

 

Zduriencik then made him “look like an ass” in front of baseball operations brass in spring training 2012 after Blengino gave a presentation on possible benefits from advances in computerized hitting data.

 

“He nitpicked about font sizes and column widths,” Blengino said. “He did what he always does and made fun of something he couldn’t understand.”

 

I don't know, it sounds more to me like Blengino got fired and has an axe to grind and/or a personal grudge against Jack Z. Not that I have any stake in defending the latter who may be a huge jerk for all I know, just doesn't seem like hugely newsworthy behavior.

 

What horrible moves has he made with the Mariners that suggest he no longer values statistics? A couple trades have not worked out very well, but it's not like he's been Dayton Moore. Plus who knows how much pressure he is getting from above. The last big signing the Mariners made that the stats community loved, Chone Figgins, was a debacle.

[paul253]

Blengino said Zduriencik became obsessed with power hitters, ignoring defense, baserunning and roster construction.

 

This is the part that stuck out to me. This seems to describe the Brewers.

 

Juan Francisco anyone? This sounds exactly like what the Brewers are doing now and explains their apparent interest in guys like Ike Davis and Logan Morrison.

[danzig6767]

Blengino said Zduriencik became obsessed with power hitters, ignoring defense, baserunning and roster construction.

 

This is the part that stuck out to me. This seems to describe the Brewers.

 

Juan Francisco anyone? This sounds exactly like what the Brewers are doing now and explains their apparent interest in guys like Ike Davis and Logan Morrison.

 

Do you want the Brewers front office to look for a slap hitter to play firstbase instead of someone with power?

[MNBrew]

The specifics vary, but this sounds similar to the sort of dysfunction that marked the end of Harry Dalton's term as Brewers GM, when players weren't sure what they could say to whom and coaches Larry Haney and Andy Etchebarren were known to be Dalton's "eyes and ears" in the clubhouse.

 

Larry Haney was only the bullpen coach for most of his Brewers coaching tenure, but he somehow made it through every managerial change in Dalton's tenure and surely was coated in teflon. I used to go early to games at County Stadium to hang out in the bleachers during batting practice and hope for a ball from someone in the bullpen. While the pitchers were anywhere from game-focused to usually polite if not pleasant, Larry Haney came off as nothing but a jerk most of the time. Hopefully that wasn't truly the case, only a teenager's impression, but that perception of him has stuck with me for the past 30 years.

[Mass Haas]

AUDIO: A portion of the Tony Blengino interview on MLB Network Radio

 

Blengino was a frequent email contact of mine back when he was the Brewers' Northeast Area Scout, I remember a wonderful evening with him at the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game in Newport, RI. While higher-up crosscheckers and front office staff made the final decision, Blengino was the big proponent behind the Mark Rogers selection, along with C Angel Salome, LHP's Zach Braddock and Steve Garrison, and OF Darren Ford.

[logan82]

Blengino was the big proponent behind the Mark Rogers selection, along with C Angel Salome, LHP's Zach Braddock and Steve Garrison, and OF Darren Ford.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

[jjfanec]

Blengino was the big proponent behind the Mark Rogers selection, along with C Angel Salome, LHP's Zach Braddock and Steve Garrison, and OF Darren Ford.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

 

No but they definitely were more high upside type picks. A few of those guys were highly regarded by the posters who follow the Brewers farm system

[JimH5]

The specifics vary, but this sounds similar to the sort of dysfunction that marked the end of Harry Dalton's term as Brewers GM, when players weren't sure what they could say to whom and coaches Larry Haney and Andy Etchebarren were known to be Dalton's "eyes and ears" in the clubhouse.

 

Larry Haney only the bullpen coach for most of his Brewers coaching tenure, but he somehow made it through every managerial change in Dalton's tenure and surely was coated in teflon. I used to go early to games at County Stadium to hang out in the bleachers during batting practice and hope for a ball from someone in the bullpen. While the pitchers were anywhere from game-focused to usually polite if not pleasant, Larry Haney came off as nothing but a jerk most of the time. Hopefully that wasn't truly the case, only a teenager's impression, but that perception of him has stuck with me for the past 30 years.

 

Regarding Haney, I was working at the Marriott (now Sheraton) hotel on Moorland Rd. in the early to mid 80s, and it was an occasional hangout for Brewers coaches after the games. To me, Haney was friendly and pleasant.

 

This is how old I am. . .I remember a short conversation he and I shared about the surprising start to the career of Tom Candiotti. That was a long time ago.

 

Anyway, it's weird how these guys can cement a legacy in our minds, with just a few random encounters.

 

Regarding Jack Z, I love hearing about behind-the-scenes turmoil. It makes me laugh. At this point, with his lack of success in Seattle, and with the lack of people running to his defense, I'd guess a lot of it is right. I kind of hope it is, just for the humor.

[Thurston Fluff]

I think that lack of people publicly coming to his defense is telling. Whether that is because the article slanted it that way or there was nobody willing to come to his defense I don't know.

[torts]

Seattle GM: 'We're looking forward'

[TheCrew07]

Blengino was the big proponent behind the Mark Rogers selection, along with C Angel Salome, LHP's Zach Braddock and Steve Garrison, and OF Darren Ford.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

 

I disagree, that's a pretty high upside bunch, most of which who made the big leagues.

 

Rogers had the best arm in the system before and after Jeffress but couldn't stay healthy enough or throw enough strikes. Made the big leagues though.

 

Salome quit for mental issues, I don't remember the specifics, extremely disappointing at the time.

 

Braddock also had mental problems, I want to say he was bi-polar, but don't recall for sure. Made the bigs, pitched well, then fell apart.

 

Garrison was a pretty awesome 10th round pick, he made the bigs without great stuff, maybe he'll get back some day.

 

Ford was the fastest player in the minor leagues for years but just couldn't hit enough, he also made the big leagues.

 

That's a far cry from the majority of players who never even get a cup of coffee.

[paul253]

Do you want the Brewers front office to look for a slap hitter to play firstbase instead of someone with power?

 

There is something between power with nothing else and slap hitter with no power. We don't have to settle for a .220 hitter just because he can hit a home run.