Brink: Interest in hiring coaches, executives flatters Pirates
From Bill Brink at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on January 13, 2016, with mention of SABR member Tyrone Brooks:
When Tyrone Brooks thinks about interest in hiring Pirates coaches and executives, he thinks back to his days with the Atlanta Braves, where he began his baseball career in 1996.
The Braves had just won the World Series and were in the midst of a stretch of 14 division titles in 15 seasons.
“There was always a case where people eventually came calling for individuals,” said Brooks, the Pirates director of player personnel, at the winter meetings in December. “They see you’re having success, they want to know further about what your processes are. They know you’ve gotten good people there, and eventually you start winning and start building something. People want to get a piece of that.”
Interest in hiring away Pirates personnel intensified in the fall and winter of 2015. It’s a sign of progress — teams generally don’t want your employees unless you’re winning — but, as the 2016 season approaches and the Pirates attempt to compete in an increasingly difficult National League Central Division, it also means the Pirates have had to back-fill in some important areas.
Read the full article here: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2016/01/13/Pirates-flattered-forced-to-back-fill-after-interest-in-hiring-coaches-and-executives/stories/201601130065
Originally published: January 13, 2016. Last Updated: January 13, 2016.