9:09pm: The Angels have officially announced that Dipoto has resigned as the team’s GM and that Stoneman will serve as the GM for the remainder of the season. The team also confirmed that Klentak and fellow assistant GM Scott Servais will remain with the team in their previous roles while assisting Stoneman.
5:54pm: The Angels will name senior advisor of baseball operations Bill Stoneman as their interim GM, following Jerry Dipoto’s sudden resignation, reports MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez (Twitter links). Assistant GM Matt Klentak will act as Stoneman’s No. 2 in the new arrangement, per Gonzalez, who adds that a full search for a permanent replacement will begin in the offseason. Promoting Klentak is also an option, according to Gonzalez.
Stoneman, 71, has a lengthy track record in front offices, including within the Angels front office. He served as the team’s general manager from the 1999 through 2007 seasons prior to stepping down and ceding the role to Tony Reagins. Stoneman oversaw the construction of the Angels’ 2002 World Series roster and has been working in front offices dating back to 1984, when he was a member of the Expos’ front office. He, of course, is also the GM that initially hired manager Mike Scioscia, whose reported refusal to utilize data provided by the team’s analytics staff served as a catalyst for Dipoto’s decision to resign.
Stoneman and the young Klentak (34) will run point on the team’s baseball operations decisions as the trade deadline looms. While Klentak himself seems likely to be a consideration for the permanent GM’s chair, he’s also been speculatively mentioned as a candidate to join the Phillies’ front office in some capacity. Klentak has a strong relationship with new Phillies president Andy MacPhail, who gave him a prominent role in the Orioles’ front office back in 2008. Those looking to learn more about Klentak can check out an early episode of the MLBTR Podcast, where Klentak joined to discuss the Angels’ offseason goals with host Jeff Todd.
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The Ghost of Gene Mauch® is behind all of this madness in an attempt to take over as manager, and resurrect the The Cowboy
I always liked and respected Mauch.. Couple of key reasons..
1) Anyone who could manage and deal with those awful Expos teams all those years? OK in my book.
2) Remember Twins owner Calvin Griffith? Cheaper than Charlie O? Mauch had to deal with him for 5 full seasons. I remember when Lyman Bostock headed to the Angels.. Was murdered in a car believe it was?? Shot? Great talent anyway.. Griffith wouldn’t pay him.. Bill Campbell.. Better than Rollie Fingers 2 years.. Griffith wouldn’t pay him.. Rod Carew? Griffith wouldn’t pay him..
Get the idea? Gene Mauch was the fall guy who stayed on while every talent on those Twinkie teams walked away… Yep.. I always respected Gene Mauch..
Gene Mauch was an excellent manager for a quarter century…just tragically never got all the way…that Phillies lead blown….Angels in 82 and 86
Then Dave Henderson came in and brought back all those memories.. Stories etc.. When he hit that HR to win the ALCS in ’86..
The guy sure deserved better after such a distinguished career.
Tragic? Is that how to describe his career? Fate? Wrong place at the wrong time when a certain job became available?
Just of couple of notes…
First, Dave Henderson did not hit that HR to win the ALCS. What he did was help force games 6 and 7 to be played in Boston, which, ultimately sent Boston to the WS only to have the curse of the Bambino go through Buckner’s legs…
Second, sadly, Donnie never got over that blown save to which he killed his wife and himself in a murder-suicide. May the both R.I.P.
Tragic was Donnie Moore
One of the most OVERrated managers in MLB history. I always heard about how much a “genius” Mauch was but I just never saw it even when he did have the talent. In 64, a 6.5 game lead with 12 games left to play and the Phils lose 10 straight. Jim Bunning, a frontrunner for Cy Young honors started in four of the last 10 games. Chris Short, a very fine pitcher that year started three of those games. Yes, he had some teams with lousy talent but didn’t do very well when he had talented teams. He’s not in the hall of fame for a reason.
Well he’s not in the hall because of the lack of rings…that’s as political as much as anything. I’ll just add that the rotation issue in 64 going to the three man wasn’t that uncommon. He had an uncanny knack for reading other teams abilities from game to game….it’d be fascinating to see how he’d do with modern analysis aiding him. People ride him for the small ball approach… But he was very good at it because of his extreme ability to utilize it correctly… He knew when a third baseman had a sore arm..and when that bunt could succeed.
But yeah…the Hall of Fame? That’s a few games separating him from there. Interestingly Billy Beane has a little of Mauch rolling. Small sample size… And with Macuh that sample is a few postseason games.
Except Mauch was tossing Bunning out there on TWO days rest in those final days when the Phils lost 10 straight. I have no problems with “small ball.” A manager has to utilize the talent he has the best way he can and when you have guys like Bobby Wine, Coco Laboy and John Boccabella, you can’t sit back and wait for three run HR’s. But they couldn’t run like Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, Lonnie & Ozzie Smith so Herzog’s “small ball” worked much better. To me, Buck Showalter is a modern day Mauch. No questioning their baseball IQ but they don’t seem to wear very well on veteran players who just tune them out after a while.
He’s basically Whitey Herzog. Almost any approach to the game can be successful if precisely applied. Those Cardinal teams just ran teams into the turf…then they’d have a single bopper like Jack Clark.
Well that’s one way to make sure the GM stays out of Scioscia’s way.
Yay, a 71 year old GM… Who probably is not caught up with everything happening in baseball today. Bill Stoneman hired Mike Scioscia, but he likely can’t even fire him now.
I’m sure he still knows what’s going on. He never left the Angels organization. Hopefully he’ll mesh well with Klentack as his #2 and eventually Klentack takes over as the full-time GM.
Stoneman’s never left the Angels’ front office, so while the concept of a 71-year-old interim GM may not be all that appealing to you, he does at least know the org inside and out, and likely the rest of the league as well. Plus, it sounds like Klentak will have a pretty big voice in the restructured front office.
Never saw a manager fire a GM before 🙂
Well, you won’t have Stoneman pushing new age analytics on Scioscia. Probably still has a flip phone.
Actually, it’s a rotary.
Moreno should just channel his inner Jerry Jones and name himself GM.. He makes all of the big moves anyway..