The best all-time General Managers: #21 Brian Sabean

The countdown of the best all-time general managers has come to #21, an architect of multiple World Series champions in a short time period.

San Francisco Giants, 1997-2014

Because his teams were three-time World Series champions, Brian Sabean is widely viewed as a front office genius and easily one of the best all-time general managers. At the same time, Sabean’s career short-term numbers are merely at the high end of average because the numerous good seasons he provided Giants fans were interspersed with occasional clunkers.

In that context, perhaps the best assessment of Sabean is that he was never boring.

A graduate of Eckerd College, Sabean began his professional career as a college coach before signing as a Yankee scout. He is credited with a role in the acquisitions of several Yankee heroes, among them Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte.

That alone would be enough in the way of credentials to get most guys a promotion, and following the 1994 season it got Sabean promotion as senior vice president of player personnel for the Giants. Following the 1996 season he succeeded Bob Quinn as the team’s GM.

In San Francisco, he was not bashful. His acquisition of pitchers Wilson Alvarez and Roberto Hernandez from the White Sox in July of 1997 was credited with turning the Giants into an instant playoff contender.

Sabean inked Barry Bonds to what proved to be the single most productive multi-year deal in the game’s history following the 1998 season, Bonds producing more than 22 games of value by himself over the ensuing three seasons before Sabean tore it up in favor of another. That one lasted four seasons and produced another 30 games of value.

Bonds almost single-handedly carried the Giants to the 2002 wild card, then to the World Series, where they lost in seven games to the Angels.

But if Sabean could help the Giants, he could also hurt them. In 2004, his acquisition of catcher A.J. Pierzynski (-2.0 games) effectively maneuvered the Giants out of the post-season.

Sabean was Sporting News Executive Of The Year in 2003 because the Giants won the NL West by 15 and one-half games. Sabean’s deeds that season had, if anything, a negative impact on that total.

He would have been a logical choice in 2002 – when he improved the pennant-winning Giants by more than 20 games — and again in 2010, when he worked a 19.6 game improvement that netted a World Series victory. Instead the awards went to Terry Ryan in 2002 and Walt Jocketty in 2010.

Sabean was sagacious in his judgment of free agents. He ranks fourth — behind only Branch Rickey, Barney Dreyfuss and Dan O’Dowd — in the total long-term impact and eleventh in the average long-term impact of the free agents he has let go. Sabean also ranks fifth in the total long-term impact of the free agents he’s signed. Of course, the opportunity to re-sign Barry Bonds will pad one’s stats in that regard.

The Giants promoted Sabean to executive vice president of baseball operations following the team’s third World Series win in 2014, and he named Bobby Evans as his successor.

Brian Sabean

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In the first six categories, values reflect the standard deviation of the GM’s performance above or below the historical mean for that category. Category 7 awards or deducts points for seasons in which the GM’s short-term impact exceeded the margin by which his team either reached post-season or failed to do so. Category 8 represents post-season appearances; in categories 7 and 8 indicated points are based on numbers of teams and post-season berths.

1  Short-term average: +0.61

2  Short-term total: +0.62

3 Long-term average: +0.86

4 Long-term total: +1.18

5 Residual average: +1.13

6 Residual total: -0.10

7 GM’s post-season shares:

• 2002 Award +0.50. Sabean’s moves improved the Giants by +17.2 games; they qualified for post-season by 3.5 games. Key moves: Re-signed Barry Bonds, +11.7; traded Sean Estes, -1.8.
• 2004 Penalty -0.50 games. Sabean’s moves hurt the Giants by -2.7 games; they failed to qualify for post-season by 1 game. Key moves: Acquired A.J. Pierzynski, -2.0.
• 2010 Award +0.50. Sabean’s moves improved the Giants by +15.9 games; they qualified for post-season by 2 games. Key moves: Re-signed Matt Cain, +1.8; signed Aubrey Huff, +2.9; re-signed Tim Lincecum, +1.4; signed Santiago Casilla, +2.0; promoted Buster Posey, +2.3; promoted Madison Bumgarner, +1.4.

Category 7 total: +0.50

8 Credit for post-season appearances (1997, +0.44; 2000, +0.50; 2002, +0.50; 2003, +0.50; 2010, +0.50; 2012, +0.38; 2014, +0.38): +3.20.

Grand total: +8.00.

That’s the argument for (or against, depending on your view) Brian Sabean as the #21 best all-time general manager. What do you think? Comment below!