Bates: Crowning the ‘King of Baseball’
From SABR member Mike Bates at The Hardball Times on December 14, 2018:
In the days following the Winter Meetings, you’re going to read a lot of pieces trying to figure out who came away a winner. It could be teams, or players. Somebody’s manager or agent. Someone out there will stump for for them. One name you will not hear mentioned is Mike Tamburro.
Mike Tamburro is the vice chairman for and part-owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, having served in those capacities, more or less, since 1985. Before that, he was the club’s general manager. He’s been inducted in the PawSox team Hall of Fame, as well as the Hall of Fame for the International League. He’s been named the circuit’s Executive of the Year five times, and the best executive in the entire minor leagues, by The Sporting News, once. And now, for the next year at least, Mike Tamburro is the reigning King of Baseball.
King of Baseball? you may ask. How is there a King of Baseball? There are commissioners. There are owners. There are MVPs and Cy Young winners. But none of them could rightfully claim to be kings of their leagues, let alone of all baseball. What sort of person, you might wonder, could possibly rule over a kingdom so vast? What in the hell does a King of Baseball even do?
Read the full article here: https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/crowning-the-king-of-baseball/
Originally published: December 14, 2018. Last Updated: December 14, 2018.