Dodgers News: Team Hires 2 New Special Assistants
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a deep roster, that much is for certain. But the one area that they have their most noteworthy depth in is in the front office. After hiring several former general managers to be assistants to President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, the team has hired two more.
Today, the club announced that they have hired Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux and former Major League outfielder Raul Ibanez on as special assistants to Friedman, as well as to the baseball operations department. The team announced it on Twitter a little while ago.
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From the official Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) Twitter account:
The Dodgers have hired Greg Maddux and Raul Ibanez as special assistants to the president of baseball operations & baseball ops department.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 2, 2016
Their roles quickly became clear, thanks to J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) of the Los Angeles News Group:
#Dodgers say Maddux/Ibanez will assist in scouting, player development and working with major/minor leaguers, other baseball ops stuff.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) February 2, 2016
So, it appears that Maddux and Ibanez will assist the team in several areas, to say the least. They’re going to be pretty hands-on with stuff, and that means that their expertise and veteran know-how will come into play quite often.
It seems quite clear that the Dodgers are trying to build up a very expansive front office crew so that they can get many opinions on several matters, which would aid the personnel in making an informed decision on whatever it is they’re trying to make a decision on.
The more voices in a room, the better. Or, at least you would think when they’re baseball minds like all of these guys happen to be. Adding Maddux and Ibanez to the fold is only good news.
And while fans will look at this and wonder why the team isn’t making actual free agent moves, or trades, they have to stay patient with the process. It’s not every day you get to add a Hall of Fame pitcher and a veteran outfielder to your scouting and player development departments.
[toggler title=”Read Full Press Release” ][/toggler] Dodgers News: Puig Soars To New Heights .. LiterallyLOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the hiring of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux and 19-year big league veteran Raul Ibañez as Special Assistants to the Dodgers’ President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and the entire Baseball Operations Department.In their roles, Maddux and Ibañez will assist in all aspects of baseball operations, including scouting, player development and working with the club’s players, both at the Major and minor league levels.Maddux, 49, pitched in 23 big league seasons with the Cubs (1986-92, 2004-06), Braves (1993-2003), Dodgers (2006, ’08) and Padres (2007-08), compiling a 355-227 record with a 3.16 ERA in 744 games (740 starts). The four-time National League Cy Young Award winner, eight-time All-Star and 18-time Gold Glover retired with the eighth-most all-time wins and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, his first year on the ballot, with 97.2% of the vote. Following his playing career, Maddux joined the Cubs’ front office in 2010 as an assistant to general manager Jim Hendry before spending four seasons in the Rangers’ organization (2012-15), where his brother Mike was the pitching coach, as a Special Assistant to General Manager Jon Daniels. He also served as the pitching coach for Team USA during the 2013 World Baseball Classic.Ibañez, 43, will gain his first front-office experience following a 19-year big league career with the Mariners (1996-2000, 2004-08, ‘13), Royals (2001-03, ‘14), Phillies (2009-11), Yankees (2012) and Angels (2014). The 2009 All-Star posted a .272 career batting average with 305 home runs and 1,207 RBI in 2,161 games, while making five postseason appearances during the course of his career. The left-handing hitting outfielder/first baseman was originally selected by the Mariners in the 36thround of the 1992 First-Year Player Draft out of Miami-Dade College.
Having Maddux work with the minor league pitchers will be a boon for them as they will learn that placement and mixing pitches and knowing hitters is more important than trying to blow stuff by them
MikeandRenaKane I agree. The young Dodger pitchers are primarily throwers, especially the bullpen with Baez, Garcia, and Avilan. They are not that good at setting up the batter, pitch selection, and pitch location. You do not need to throw 100 MPH to get guys out, as long as you can be consistent. If Zach Lee is not glued to Maddux he should never see Dodger Stadium. Koufax and Maddux on the field at the same time. How can that be a bad thing?
Raul Ibanez is the picture of perseverance. 36th round draft pick with a 19 year ML career as a 1B/OF. Do you think Cody Bellinger can learn from Ibanez. How valuable do you think he will be with the Cuban, Dominican, Venezuelan, etc young signees?
These guys are going to concentrate on scouting and player development, not recommending trades. Although their input will be listened to. Great Hires!!