Gleeman: The Twins and the Derek Falvey Era
From SABR member Aaron Gleeman at Baseball Prospectus on September 28, 2016:
Two months after firing longtime general manager Terry Ryan the Twins have decided on his replacement, hiring Indians assistant general manager Derek Falvey as their new front office boss. Going from the 62-year-old, old school, highly experienced Ryan to the 33-year-old, new school, inexperienced Falvey represents a massive shift for the Twins, but one that was clearly necessary following the worst season in team history and a fifth season with 90-plus losses in the past six years. It’s an organization begging for change.
Minnesota’s unsuccessful attempts to interview ex-general managers Alex Anthopoulos and Ben Cherington made headlines and Falvey was rarely portrayed as the front-runner throughout a process aided by the Korn Ferry search firm. In the end he beat out, among others, Rays vice president of baseball operations (and former Baseball Prospectus staffer) Chaim Bloom, Cubs vice president of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod, and Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo.
Falvey is baseball’s second-youngest front office boss behind only David Stearns, whom the Brewers hired as general manager last offseason with the help of Korn Ferry. His rise has been rapid, going from Indians intern to Twins boss in just eight seasons, and Falvey held the assistant general manager title in Cleveland for less than one year. His youth and lack of experience running an organization will no doubt be second-guessed and certainly present risks, but there’s a very similar story in Twins history that turned out pretty well.
Read the full article here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=30471
- Related link: Watch the 2013 SABR Analytics Player Development Panel with Derek Falvey, Tyrone Brooks, and Yeshayah Goldfarb
Originally published: September 28, 2016. Last Updated: September 28, 2016.