Topkin: Who are these guys now helping to run the Rays?
From Marc Topkin at the Tampa Bay Times on November 1, 2019:
When Chaim Bloom finally got the opportunity he had been seeking for several years in Boston, the Rays decided there was no one person who could replace him as the top lieutenant to general manager Erik Neander.
That’s because they felt they had several talented and rising men who share those duties and carry on the good work they’d been doing, creating a trio of top executives in Peter Bendix, James Click and Carlos Rodriguez.
“Their unique combination of strengths and different personalities really complement each other well,’’ Neander said Friday. “They’re ready and it will be rewarding and fun to see them mesh together. With this group we’re positioned to keep pace with a rapidly changing game. I’m excited to see them and a lot of other staff step up.’’
Peter Bendix, 34
How he got here: A sabermetrics class freshman year at Tufts University, a research project on former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone selected for presentation at the Society of American Baseball Research conference, talks with Red Sox execs and Boston media at a campus sabermetrics club he formed, other articles getting published online all encouraged Bendix to try to turn his passion into his profession.
Blind emails to any team executive he could find an address for, a plane ticket to Las Vegas for the 2008 winter meetings, a courtesy tip from Bloom to not over-dress and a $20 a night room at the Excalibur hotel made it happen.
Read the full article here: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/11/01/who-are-these-guys-now-helping-to-run-the-rays/
Originally published: November 4, 2019. Last Updated: November 4, 2019.