Atlanta Braves: A refreshing vision from above
Time and again since he was hired in mid-November, Alex Anthopoulos has shown to be exactly what the Atlanta Braves need at this time in their organization. His comments on Monday may be the best example yet.
The Atlanta Braves have certainly been a tough team to be a fan of this winter. The punishment from MLB after nearly two months of investigation was absolutely unprecedented, and it left many worried about the future of the organization.
However, just over a week before that announcement was made by the league, the Atlanta Braves made another announcement as they hired Alex Anthopoulos to be the club’s general manager through what was known to be a tough time even before the official announcement.
How AA got here
Anthopoulos actually got his baseball start with the Montreal Expos working in the mail room. However, as most great stories, he didn’t let himself be stuck to his assigned duties. He spent time with scouts at games and took notes, and he found himself quickly progressing through the scouting side of the organization to the point where he was the assistant scouting director when he left Montreal after the 2003 season.
He then joined the Blue Jays organization, where he would work his way by the end of his second year in the organization to assistant general manager. After the 2009 season, he was promoted to the general manager’s role, and he proceeded to trade away one of the team’s anchors in Roy Halladay.
In 2015, Anthopoulos had the Blue Jays in the playoffs for the first time since Joe Carter trotted around the bases after a number of shrewd deals landed him one of the most powerful offenses along with an elite defense. He was selected as the Executive of the Year by Sporting News for his work.
After 2015, AA left for the Dodgers as the vice president of operations, reportedly due to the Blue Jays hiring former Cleveland Indians general manager into the role of President and CEO of the team. Anthopoulos reportedly did not want to have to report to someone in his dealings.
Monday’s statement
So what exactly did Anthopoulos say that sparked this article? This is a quote from the Rome Braves fan event this week:
Anthopoulos: "We have a ton of financial resources a year from now. A ton of assets in the minor leagues as well. This place is about ready to explode if we do our job correctly."
— David Lee (@David11Lee) January 29, 2018
In that simple 36-word quote, Athopoulos revealed the plan for competitiveness in 2019 through spending in the next 12 months, yet he also expressed the desire to allow the accumulated wealth of the minor league system he inherited to show itself over 2018 to see what is on hand before simply trading off all assets to chase incremental improvements in record to appease a portion of the fan base.
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No, in that statement, AA spoke to all elements of the Braves fan base. He spoke to those who want to see a competitive product on the field by telling them that the intention is to utilize this season to build toward competing in 2019.
He spoke to the prospect hounds in stating that he wouldn’t be making rash moves just for the purpose of making moves and appeasing those who want “name” players in the lineup, rather he would give the young players an opportunity to show that they deserve the chance to be key parts of the future rather than assuming they do not deserve that spot.
Anthopoulos also spoke to those who were frustrated with seeming wavering directions and moving targets of the previous regime in how the rebuild would be handled by giving a real, defined timeline of when “big” moves for the major league club would be made in order to make a jump in competitiveness.
This is not the first statement by AA that’s been on point in his time as GM, and it likely won’t be the last.
Next: Atlanta Braves #1 Farm System
While the situation that led to his arrival in Atlanta was certainly less than ideal, Atlanta Braves fans everywhere should be counting their lucky stars to have Alex Anthopoulos running the Braves going forward.