Archives for September 2011

On the role of statistics in scouting:

Growing up I had always paid attention to them and was always interested as a kid. I followed the normal stats back then – home runs and average and ERAs. When I first got into scouting, I thought it was important. I thought the guys I played with in college, the guys that were good put up good stats, so I thought ‘why not take that into consideration and then on top of using the [scouting] tools we’re always talking about, pay attention to the stats.’ 

They tell you something and I’ve always liked looking at stats to see how a guy’s doing. I’m a proponent of paying attention to them. You’re not doing your full job if you don’t pay attention to them. I don’t think they tell you the whole story about a player, especially college stats when they’re using aluminum or high school games where the competition level isn’t the same. You can’t rely on stats. You can use them to supplement things and help you understand players.

On mentors in the game:

There aren’t many people who were as fortunate as I was to really grow up in the game. My mother was the assistant to the scouting director then became director of minor league operations for the San Diego Padres, so back in the 1980s, I was constantly around baseball. I was fortunate with that and that’s very unique. A lot of times, guys follow their dads and this is something where I was able to follow my mom. 

Sandy Johnson was the scouting director of the Padres back then and he was instrumental with helping me out with what I believed in in scouting.

Then I’ve been fortunate here with the Yankees. The time around George Steinbrenner was tremendous. I learned a lot, whether it was about making decisions, standing up for what you believe, working for a man who wants to win so bad. I learned a lot from him and obviously [GM] Brian Cashman and [senior VP of baseball operations] Mark Newman, the guys here with the Yankees. I’ve been blessed to learn a ton from those guys. 

On growing up around the Padres:

I was always a baseball junkie, I was always a sports junkie. I grew up around the Padres and even as a kid, 16 years old, still playing baseball, I had a job at Jack Murphy Stadium [the Padres’ former home] selling peanuts just so I could basically get in for free, sell those until the sixth inning and watch the rest of the game.

On the possibility becoming an MLB GM:

It would be an honor. It would be a great challenge. If the right situation presented itself I think it would be a great opportunity. I’m very fortunate to work for a great organization here and it hasn’t been my main goal that I have to be a general manager someday. I’d like to be, but I do feel blessed to be where I’m at also.