Here are six candidates the Diamondbacks have in mind for their GM opening
Only one of the six has prior GM experience
By
Mike Axisa
•
3 min read
Earlier this week, the Diamondbacks parted ways with general manager Dave Stewart following a thoroughly disappointing 2016 season. The team spent big to acquire Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller in the offseason, and the result was a 69-93 record, sixth worst in baseball. Tony La Russa's future as baseball operations head is said to be uncertain as well.
The D-Backs are now looking for their fifth GM in the last seven years. Josh Byrnes was the GM from 2005-10, Jerry Dipoto took over on an interim basis in 2010, Kevin Towers ran things from 2010-14, and Stewart was at the helm from 2015-16. That's an awful lot of turnover, enough that you wonder whether the real problem comes from higher up the food chain, at the ownership level.
Either way, the Diamondbacks are now in the process of looking for a new person to run their organization. They have six candidates lined up according to various reports:
Source: Bryan Minniti, Mike Bell, Ray Montgomery, Peter Woodfork and Kim Ng are all in the running for D'Backs GM job.
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) October 6, 2016
Sources: Ned Colletti is a candidate for the Arizona Diamondbacks' GM vacancy. https://t.co/N7P0V2TQUO#Dodgers
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) October 7, 2016
Only one of those six, Colletti, has prior GM experience. That doesn't necessarily make him the favorite. Byrnes, Dipoto, and Stewart were all first-time GMs with Arizona, and teams seem more willing than ever to hire rookie exectuives these days.
Here is some background info on the six folks the D-Backs are looking at for their GM vacancy. The candidates are listed alphabetically, so don't read anything into the order.
Mike Bell, D-Backs director of player development: Mike is David Bell's brother, Buddy Bell's son, and Gus Bell's grandson, so he comes from a baseball family. He joined Arizona's front office after coaching in their minor league system from 2007-09. Bell played briefly in the show with the 2000 Reds.
Ned Colletti, Dodgers special advisor: Colletti served as Dodgers GM from 2006-14 before being shuttled upstairs into an advisor role when the team hired Andrew Friedman away from the Rays. Colletti did a lot of good in Los Angeles, namely drafting Clayton Kershaw and Corey Seager, and acquiring Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez. He also had a penchant for overpaying veterans as free agents, particularly relievers. Prior to joining the Dodgers, he worked with the Cubs (1982-93) and Giants (1994-2005) in various capacities.
Bryan Minniti, D-Backs assistant GM: Like many executives these days, Minniti did not play the game and instead comes from an analytics background. He joined the Pirates out of college in 2001 and climbed as high as director of baseball operations. Minniti then spent five years as assistant GM with the Nationals before joining the D-Backs last year.
Kim Ng, MLB senior VP of baseball operations: Ng currently works in the commissioner's office but she has a ton of front office experience, having previously worked with the White Sox (1991-97), Yankees (1998-2000), and Dodgers (2001-11). She's interviewed for several GM positions over the years -- Ng interviewed with the Dodgers before they hired Colletti in 2005, most notably -- and although she's never held the position, she has ranked as high as vice president and assistant GM. Ng would be baseball's first female GM.
Ray Montgomery, Brewers VP of amateur scouting and special assistant: Long considered a GM candidate, Montgomery has a history with the D-Backs, having served as their scouting director from 2010-14. He played briefly in the big leagues with the Astros from 1996-98 before getting into scouting, first with the Brewers, then with the Padres and D-Backs before his current stint in Milwaukee. Montgomery is very highly regarded within baseball.
Peter Woodfork, MLB senior VP of baseball operations: Like Ng, Woodfork spent several years working in front offices before joining MLB's central command. That includes a five-year stint with the D-Backs as vice president and assistant GM from 2007-11. He also has player development experience with the Red Sox from 2003-05. Woodfork is a Harvard graduate who started his career in the commissioner's office.
For a team in desperate need of a reboot, the fact the D-Backs are considering two internal candidates plus two others who have worked for the team might not necessarily be considered a positive. That isn't to say Bell, Minniti, Montgomery, and Woodfork are not qualified, because they are, but you wonder whether bringing in a fresh voice with outside perspective would be the best thing for the franchise at this point in time.
