In case last night’s report that Carlos Correa has hired Bobby Flay’s agent wasn’t strange enough for you — fear not, cravers of odd baseball news! The NHL’s San Jose Sharks announced today that they’ve hired former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti as a professional scout. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson offered the following statement on the matter:
Ned has an extensive background working in professional sports and talent evaluation and he will bring a fresh perspective to our organization’s evaluation process. This was a unique opportunity to add someone of Ned’s experience to our staff.
Colletti has never worked in hockey before but does join the Sharks with more than three decades of experience working in a Major League front office — including 18 seasons as an assistant general manager or general manager of a Major League team. Clearly, the Sharks are convinced enough of Colletti’s hockey acumen to make a decidedly outside-the-box hire.
[Related: Pro Hockey Rumors’ coverage of the Sharks hiring Ned Colletti]
Colletti isn’t the only notable executive to completely change sports in recent years, but it seems he’ll have a more direct say in player evaluation than Paul DePodesta took on when joining the NFL’s Cleveland Browns as their Chief Strategy Officer in early 2016. (DePodesta, per the Browns, is “tasked with implementing systems and processes to strengthen the Browns organization and decision making” in his role with the team.)
Since being replaced by the Dodgers following the 2014 season, Colletti has been rumored to be a part of the GM searches for both the Diamondbacks and the Orioles, but he’s never signed on as an executive with another MLB organization. Colletti served as an adviser to Dodgers president Stan Kasten after being removed as GM and has also served as a television analyst with Sportsnet Los Angeles.
Hahahahaha there’s a reason dodgers let him go
If you look at who was drafted during his tenure, you may realize him being reassigned in the organization had more to do with new ownership wanting a new face for the front office. The McCourt years make the News Corp years look pretty good, both of which had many problems.
Not a new face so much as an analytics-heavy one. I know it’s unfashionable to say so but the facts show that Colletti did pretty well during his years managing a bankrupt team with a starved farm system. None of the handicaps he was handed were his creation.
Definitely agree with you there. He was hamstrung by that dreadful ownership situation, and made some good calls in spite of that.
Although the Jones and Schmidt deals still sucked.
Sure. Nobody bats 1.000 if they come to the plate more than a few times. On the other side of the ledger, Colletti nabbed Manny Ramirez for effectively nothing. That was a stroke of genius.
Nobody would have predicted Jones and Schmidt would have been *that* bad exactly.
Lots of people did, after the fact.
And he wrote a nice book!
You shouldn’t comment when you don’t know what your talking about Colletti was a great GM under horrible circumstances! A great baseball mind! Got it clueless!!
I think you meant this. You shouldn’t comment when you don’t know what you’re talking about. Colletti was a great GM under horrible circumstances! A great baseball mind! Got it, clueless?! People often mistake your for you’re but that doesn’t mean it’s right. I can understand why you omitted the comma in the last sentence but exclamation points instead of a question mark?! Come on.
Most of the young great talent on the Dodgers drafted or sign as teenagers
If hockey only had relievers, there would be three year contracts all over the ice!
His 1st recommendation: 5 year extensions for 4th line grinders.
This one Doug, I really don’t get ??
Betcha they are old friends
So youre telling me Correa going to start playing hockey now?
His pre- and post-game commentary on SportsNet LA was actually pretty good. That’s the correct name of the Dodgers TV network, btw.
Scouting is about much more than the individual sport and the player’s skills.
Intelligence, character, work ethic, determination, competitiveness are all just as important.
Bringing in fresh eyes and an outside perspective to challenge your existing scouting staff is a fine idea by Wilson.
Ned brought the Dodgers, Kershaw, Seager, Belli, Turner, ryu, Jansen, Joc, Julio, stripling, verdugo, Pedro Beaz, and a few others. Not bad for 5 years later…
And Puig
Huh??? And in other news. John madden will be ceo of the Anaheim angels.
This is why I will never get behind a completely analytical way of running a team. Sure the numbers can help, but you have to know the sport. I’d much rather have a former player or coach with a little analytical knowledge run a team over the best analytical mind around that has never played the game. I know Colletti is not exactly the best analytical mind, but all this shows is that teams don’t care about someone’s experience in the game when deciding who is running the team.
Colletti did not draft the core of this team–Logan White did. As for his scouting acumen, he clearly does not have an eye for good toupees…
True but who was White’s boss during much of that time? Telling that White left the Dodgers at the same time Colletti was replaced.
Usually we should ignore the draft when it comes to judging the GM. Colleti was a meh GM who had the team on the brink turning into another 2010-2012 like stretch. Friedman and Zaidi saved them from it
Oh. And here I thought it might have something to do with the bankruptcy and then tripling the payroll.
Anyone remember the Milton Bradley deal?
Justin Turner signing!
Been a stand up guy for LA.
San Jose?
We’ll see