In a recent FanGraphs article, Orioles assistant GM Brady Anderson discussed sabermetrics. For fans who don’t know what Brady is all about, this article may have been a bit of an eye opener. To many of us who do know what he is all about, this article was another reminder that the best GM in the organization may not be the one making the decisions.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
We all know what Anderson has meant to the players in terms of getting them in physical shape but it goes deeper than that with him. Now, don’t get me wrong, getting players in proper shape, increasing their speed, etc…is perhaps one of those “Moneyball” concepts. In other words, its a way to find an advantage without spending much money. However, Brady is a lot more than just a guy who knows fitness and what it takes to try and look like Luke Perry. He knows baseball and he knows it very well.
I made a judgement years ago about the late, great Mike Flanagan. I felt, based off of his commentary on TV, that he was miscast in the role of co-GM. I felt his best usage would have been as a guy that the organization should have given the reigns to and allowed him to revamp how the organization was developing pitching. I wanted him to be in charge of that. I didn’t feel that he was the best guy to run and build the organization though. Now, was it right to judge him solely on his analysis? Maybe, maybe not. However, it is what I had to go by and listening to him and what he seemed to value, I just didn’t feel that the GM job was the right fit for Flanagan.
I felt the opposite with Brady. Anderson didn’t announce nearly the amount of games Flanagan did but when he did, I always came away impressed. I have to admit, I never thought of Anderson as a guy I would have guessed to be a real analytical guy and since I wasn’t into stats as much then(i.e., when he was playing) as I am now – I never really put 2 and 2 together to see that he valued many of the things we all value today, such as walks and OBP.
From 1992-2000, Brady walked at least 75 times in 8 different seasons. His career OBP was over 100 points higher than his career average. Brady saw 3.94 pitches per plat appearance in his career. During his career, the league average was 3.64.
After reading the FanGraphs, his values really came to light and makes me excited about the prospects of what he could do if he ran the organization. When talking about guys with that power and walk combination, Anderson really seemed to get it IMO. And, of course, since its Brady, you know he would also value speed and athleticism. These are things we all would love to see more of in this organization. We also know Brady would value defense, so that wouldn’t change.
When discussing Jones, you can tell Anderson had the admiration for him because he wants to be out there everyday. That’s how Brady was. That’s how his best friend, Cal Ripken, was. Does that mean Anderson would place a value on guys that are everyday players or would he be ok with the mixing and matching we currently see now? Not sure we can gleam anything from those comments other than the respect he has for Jones but its worth mentioning.
This past off-season, Duquette flirted with going to Toronto. After reading this FanGraphs Q&A, part of me is ready to show Duquette the door and had the team over to Anderson. Yes, Anderson is likely still very “raw” in some things, such as contracts, negotiations, etc…That really isn’t a big deal though. I trust his ability to analyze the guys he wants and go after them. He would gain respect from other players because he has been there and he can put guys around him that are more experienced with negotiations and contracts and allow them to handle that.
We heard the mention of names like Coletti, Malone, Minaya and Towers in the off-season. Those names made us all cringe and when you read this interview, you wonder why Brady wasn’t at the top of that list. We also know Anderson has had a good relationship with Orioles Owner Peter Angelos, so that is likely a positive in this situation as well. He also discussed his admiration for Showalter, so you would think that the relationship between him and Buck would be good as well.
I am not sure about you guys but Brady being the decision maker for this organization is sounding better everyday and while I know many fans love what Duquette has done, I personally feel he has been overrated by the media and fan base. That’s not to say he hasn’t done a good job, it is just that most of the core was already here and, to be honest, he has gotten lucky with a few guys. He has been fine and done a good job supplementing the core but he hasn’t overhauled things(international presence, MiL system, place emphasis on more saber concepts, etc..) like I was hoping he would and I just don’t think he is some irreplaceable figure, despite him being at the helm of the 3 most successful O’s teams we have had since 1997.
Combine those thoughts with him wanting to leave for Toronto and the organization having a very good mind waiting in the wings and I think the organization would be in a better place with this change.
Now, I know that this would be risky. Anderson has never had this post before. However, he is the Assistant and has been for a few years now. He has been involved in baseball for 30ish years at this point, so its not like he is some newbie with no experience.
I say let Duquette go, give Brady a chance and let’s see what he can do.
Rob has interviewed guests from outlets such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Baseball Prospectus, Athlon, Sporting News, MLB Network, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Info Solutions, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Sports on Earth, Grantland, NFL Network, FanGraphs, Football Outsiders, ProFootballFocus, etc. etc. The Baltimore native lives in Perry Hall with his Wife Lindsay, and two young sons. He has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan, Q1370, and WNST 1570. Co-Host of The Warehouse: https://anchor.fm/the-warehouse Co-Host of Sports Tonight: https://anchor.fm/sports-tonight