The Brewers yesterday formally introduced David Stearns "as the ninth GM in franchise history," but the 30-year-old "won't formally take over the job until Oct. 5," according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Current GM Doug Melvin "will continue to run the team until then before transitioning into an advisory role on a multiyear agreement" struck with team Owner Mark Attanasio last month. Craig Counsell "will continue as the Brewers' manager, as expected." Stearns said that he would "make other staffing decisions in due course." McCalvy noted Stearns "spent the past three seasons as right-hand man to Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, who relied heavily on advanced analytics to build Houston into an ahead-of-schedule contender this season." Stearns "laid out a similarly bold vision for Milwaukee." He said, "We want to be industry leaders and employ best practices across every function of baseball operations. We want to have the best scouting information. We want the best player development department. We want to use all the new information sources at our disposal, and we want to be able to combine them in an effective and coherent manner to help our decision-making process. That's what the best organizations in baseball are doing" (MLB.com, 9/21). MLB Network's Harold Reynolds said, "The Brewers came out and they said they wanted a guy with sabermetric understanding. ... This is where a lot of teams are going to. The owners are going this direction” (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 9/21). ESPN’s Keith Law noted the Brewers have been "one of the weaker clubs in terms of internal analytic capabilities," and Steans comes from the Astros, who have "one of the most advanced analytic capabilities." Law: "He had integrated that into all aspects of baseball operations. But I actually think the biggest challenge for him is going to be on the player development side, where they have a real problem getting talent to the big leagues" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN2, 9/21).
WORK TO BE DONE: In Milwaukee, Tom Haudricourt writes Stearns "has a lot of work to do in returning the Brewers to competitive mode." Stearns "has many tasks to tackle" before next season, "with little margin for error if he wants to move the franchise forward after this dreadful season" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/22). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick noted Stearns, who will be the youngest GM in MLB, "was steadfast in his belief the Brewers could return to the playoffs" for the first time since '11. However, he "stopped short of offering a specific timeline" (ESPN.com, 9/21). ESPN's Jen Lada noted the Brewers' payroll commitments for next year "are less than half this year's payroll, and they are committed to just over $100 million over the next three seasons combined.” ESPN’s Eduardo Pérez: “There’s one thing he knows how to do, and that’s balance the budget. I think with the experience he had in Houston, he'll do fine with that" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN2, 9/21).
HEAD HUNTERS: The JOURNAL SENTINEL's Haudricourt notes the search process that led to the hiring of Stearns "took less than six weeks." But Attanasio said he "left no stone unturned." With the help of search firm Korn Ferry Int'l, Attanasio and his staff "started with an original list of 44 candidates." Attanasio: "It was a very detailed and comprehensive process. Korn Ferry gave us 40 data points and said to try to rank them. We came up with a profile of 11 points or skill sets we felt were important in what we looked for." Haudricourt notes the candidates "were interviewed for three hours by the group, with Attanasio then meeting privately with each for another hour or so" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/22).
ASTRO-NOMICAL: In Houston, Reid Laymance noted Luhnow "isn’t planning to hire a replacement until the offseason." Luhnow said that when he does start that process, he "will consider candidates internally and externally." He also is "open to the possibility of having more than one assistant GM." Luhnow: “First task when we get around to it will be to define exactly where we need, what kind of skills we’re looking for in one or two or however many people we decide we’re going to bring in.” Luhnow said that Stearns’ duties in the meantime "are divvied up, but he didn’t specify who will take on which roles" (CHRON.com, 9/21). When asked if he was worried about losing further personnel, Luhnow said, "We look at it on a case-by-case basis. And obviously, we don't want everyone to leave at the same time. I can't comment on any other rumored interviews, but we have enough talent where we'll be fine no matter what happens. In general, we allow permission (to other teams to interview Astros employees) for people that are getting a promotion" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/22).
