Baseball Hall of Fame: Three Execs Deserve Enshrinement
By Matt Veasey
JOHN SCHUERHOLZ IN KANSAS CITY
First hired in baseball by the Baltimore Orioles in 1966, Schuerholz was 29 years old in 1969 when he became one of the original executives of the expansion Kansas City Royals.
Schuerholz worked in the Royals organization through the 1970s in a variety of positions, including as the Farm Director, Scouting Director, and assistant GM. He was then named the club’s General Manager in 1981, the youngest GM in baseball at the time, serving until 1990.
With the Royals, Schuerholz drafted such key players as Bret Saberhagen, Tom Gordon, and Bo Jackson. His trade acquisitions included Bud Black, Charlie Leibrandt, Lonnie Smith, Danny Tartabull, and Jeff Montgomery.
His teams in Kansas City won back-to-back American League West Division crowns in 1984 and 1985. He is given much credit for building the 1985 team that became the first in Royals history to win a World Series championship.
JOHN SCHUERHOLZ IN ATLANTA
In 1990, Schuerholz was hired with the Atlanta Braves organization and served there as general manager through the 2007 season.
During his tenure in Atlanta, Schuerholz drafted key players such as Kevin Millwood, Jermaine Dye, Marcus Giles, Adam LaRoche, Brian McCann, Adam Wainwright, Jeff Francoeur, and Jason Heyward.
His trade acquisitions in Atlanta included Fred McGriff, Otis Nixon, Jeff Reardon, Marquis Grissom, Kenny Lofton, Bret Boone, Gary Sheffield, Mike Hampton, Tim Hudson, and Mark Teixeira.
Schuerholz made a number of astute free agent signings for the Braves, including players such as Greg Maddux, Terry Pendleton, Deion Sanders, and Steve Bedrosian. He also inked amateur free agents such as Andruw Jones and Rafael Furcal.
With Atlanta, Schuerholz built a dynasty that won 11 consecutive NL East crowns from 1995-2005. His teams also won three National League pennants, and the 2005 World Series.
Schuerholz then became team president with the Braves until earlier this year, when at age 75 he was made the club’s Vice Chairman.