MLB: Ranking the decade’s best general managers
By Bill Felber
MLB: Ranking the decade’s best general managers
2. John Mozeliak, +135.3 games (St. Louis, 2010-17)
Mozeliak came to baseball following graduation from the University of Colorado, a school so poor in baseball tradition that it doesn’t even field a team. His degree and brief experience as a high school coach proved to be enough of a resume to land him a job in the front office of the newly born Colorado Rockies in 1993. Two years later he followed Rockies assistant GM Walt Jocketty to St. Louis as an assistant in the scouting department, becoming general manager following the 2007 season.
His tenure, which included the 2011 World Series win and three straight NL Central titles between 2013 and 2015, was consistently solid. Between 2010 and his promotion as team president, Mozeliak’s clubs never finished lower than second place or with fewer than 86 wins.
As GM, he showed an ability to assess his team’s needs and fill them while maintaining a solid core. Mozeliak produced 39.7 games of short-term value atop 95.6 games of long-term value. In none of Mozeliak’s season at the St. Louis helm did his short-term impact ever stray into negative territory.
Following the 2017 season, Mozeliak was promoted to team president. He named a top aide, Mike Girsch, as his successor, and continues in that role today.