ATLANTA -- John Schuerholz stepped aside as general manager of the Atlanta Braves on Thursday to become team president after assembling teams that won a record 14 consecutive division titles and the 1995 World Series.
Schuerholz, who turned 67 last week, remains second in command to chairman Terry McGuirk but will step away from day-to-day personnel decisions, such as trades, free-agent signings and other roster moves.
"I'll miss that," Schuerholz said during a news conference at Turner Field.
He was baseball's longest-serving general manager with one team, having spent 17 seasons with the Braves after a nine-year stint as GM of the Kansas City Royals.
Assistant general manager Frank Wren, a former GM with the Baltimore Orioles, moves up to replace Schuerholz after spending eight years as his assistant.
"Our styles are different," Wren said. "But our philosophies are very, very similar."
Outfielder Jeff Francoeur received word of Schuerholz's decision earlier Thursday.
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| John Schuerholz earned a rep as a brilliant talent evaluator. (AP) |
The Braves won 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 -- Schuerholz's first season in Atlanta -- until 2004, a streak unprecedented in major American leagues. The only blemish on his resume was a lack of success once his teams made the playoffs.
"What else is there?" Schuerholz said. "It would have been, unequivocally, the complete validation of the grand nature of this franchise. Nobody could have said anything about the Atlanta Braves and ended the sentence with the word 'but.'"
Wren, who was Baltimore's GM in 1999, only received word Tuesday that Schuerholz was looking to step aside, even though the idea was first proposed by McGuirk six months ago.
Schuerholz broke the news to his successor over iced tea after they watched a developmental league game in central Florida.
"I really had no inkling this was coming," Wren said.
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