Editorials

Dodgers Hire David Finley, Three Others In Scouting Department

Dodgers helmet, bat

Although the front office has yet to have a significant impact, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been lauded for the hires of Gabe Kapler, Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi.



Another face in the new-look hierarchy is former San Diego Padres general manager, Josh Byrnes. As expected, the Dodgers added to the group of new hires on Tuesday as they announced David Finley joined the organization as vice president of amateur and international scouting.

Other hires announced were Galen Carr as director of player personnel, Jeff Pickler as special assistant of pro scouting and player development, and Jack Cressend in the role of pitching crosschecker.

The Dodgers were dealt a blow when they lost both De Jon Watson to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Logan White to the Padres. Both were instrumental in rebuilding a farm system that had been depleted under Frank McCourt’s ownership.

Finley joins the Dodgers after having spent the last 13 seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Since November of 2011, he served as their director of player personnel. Finley’s tenure in Boston also includes time as a special assistant to the general manager, and he’s scouted the likes of Jon Lester, who’s a free agent, though the Dodgers haven’t been linked to him.

Like Finley, Carr also joins the Dodgers after a long career as a scout with the Red Sox (15 years). Carr was promoted to Special Assignment Scout after the 2011 season and he’s thought of highly within the Red Sox organization. His time in Boston overlaps during Kapler’s playing days with the Red Sox.

Perhaps in a hire influenced by Byrnes’ presence, Pickler accepted a position with the Dodgers after having spent four of the last five years working for the Padres; his lone year away from the organization was as a roving infield coordinator with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2011.

Pickler gained his first front-office experience with the Diamondbacks as an advanced scout and consultant from 2006-2008. Byrnes also has worked with Carr and Finley.

Cressend’s addition to the Dodgers reunites him with Friedman as the two worked with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2006-2008; during that time, Cressend was an advanced scout. Cressend then left the Rays until rejoining them in 2012 as an amateur scout/pitching consultant.

The new hires tie up a few loose ends the Dodgers had and now likely allows them to place the majority of their focus on roster moves.

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

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