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Inside The Trenches With Duquette


soxhotcorner14

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A very interesting read. I have a friend that knows people inside the Red Sox that were really dumping on this move. I'm glad to get another perspective. I don't care whether Duquette is kinder and gentler, but he's right in that he does have to know how to better communicate with all of the "stakeholders" including the customers and the media who are our primary conduit to the team.

Inbox me, I still have friends who are there now. One is a high up in the player development chain. Like to know if we know the same group of people.

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As most of you guys know, I played baseball for the Red Sox in the early 90's.. was drafted by Lou Gorman and two years later Duquette took over as GM. I spent 2 years while Duquette was GM for the Red Sox What I wanted to do is give you guys an inside feel as to how the scene was prior, during while I was with the organization. Also give you a feel, as the fan what to expect from him from the top all the way down to the players.

...

Summary

As you can see, the O's organization is almost similar to what he inherited in Boston. He developed a lot of talent to either help the big team or to trade to get vital pieces for the big team. He had second to none player development guys as well as exec's to get that organization back to elite status.. Most of those pieces for 2004 were brought along in the organization that he developed and he doesn't get enough credit for that. I think the O's finally got someone that will help them be relevant in Major League Baseball again.

If anyone has any questions relating to my time spent there under him that I might not have covered just fire away and I will answer all questions in this thread.

SoxHotCorner

This is great info man. Thanks for taking the time.

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First off, thanks for the post. This is probably one of the top 5 best in-depth and eye-opening posts in the history of my experiences with OH. You don't get this kind of stuff anywhere else and it's what makes OH so great.

What a fantastic, enlightening, encouraging post. Reading this, I think Duquette and Buck will mesh very well, as they are both sticklers for detail and doing things right. My biggest concerns are (1) what limits Angelos puts on his ability to reshape the staff and hold people accountable, and (2) whether he knows many of the younger guys who might be good to bring in, or whether all his contacts are people who were around in 2002 or before.

Frobby, I was just about to post the same thing. I can't remember who the owner was in Boston at the time, and what kind of owner he was, but Angelos is and always will be the chink in the armor. DD may be a great GM, even after 10 years away from the MLB, but it's Angelos I'm most worried about, especially when he's got his bulletproof people throughout the organization. It sounds like DD had free reign to fire and hire people when he came aboard. I doubt he gets that freedom here.

But it does seem to feel like Duquette and Showalter are going to be a great GM and manager duo. Hopefully it produces some winning seasons.

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Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I've heard from a few people and they all are excited he's coming into the organization because they feel he will institute some real change in the international scouting and player development areas. For an organization that has no true hitting and pitching coordinators last year, this is something we all should be happy about.

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I consider Sox a bazillion times more credible than that Boston reporter who savaged Duquette the other day. Thanks for the perspective, from someone who actually knows the man. The fact that he chewed you out, and you still like him, attests to his people skills. That's the kind of boss you want - someone who can actually lay into you but in a way that makes you better, instead of tearing you down.

The last time Angelos had a GM of this stature and temperment, it was Pat Gillick. We saw great results from the first couple years of that partnership. Hopefully we can see something along those lines with Duquette... but without the terrible ending.

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First off, thanks for the post. This is probably one of the top 5 best in-depth and eye-opening posts in the history of my experiences with OH. You don't get this kind of stuff anywhere else and it's what makes OH so great.

Frobby, I was just about to post the same thing. I can't remember who the owner was in Boston at the time, and what kind of owner he was, but Angelos is and always will be the chink in the armor. DD may be a great GM, even after 10 years away from the MLB, but it's Angelos I'm most worried about, especially when he's got his bulletproof people throughout the organization. It sounds like DD had free reign to fire and hire people when he came aboard. I doubt he gets that freedom here.

But it does seem to feel like Duquette and Showalter are going to be a great GM and manager duo. Hopefully it produces some winning seasons.

I thought Sox indicated that DD was forced to keep certain people on when he arrived in Boston.

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First, thank you for the great insight.

I just wonder what will happen when DD's aggressiveness will collide with Angelos's methodical process......... Someone is bound to get frustrated.

This is what I am worried about.

The horror stories of FA deals and trades sitting on Pete's desk for a day or two...

I can't imagine DD would be ok with that.

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First, thank you for the great insight.

I just wonder what will happen when DD's aggressiveness will collide with Angelos's methodical process......... Someone is bound to get frustrated.

Right...like when a Stockstill really sends Duq through the roof. He'll want to fire the guy, but can he.

Or, when he wants to go ahead and pull the trigger on that trade quickly. Can he, or will PA set up a meeting in 2 weeks?

Am I jaded or what?

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I know we are all gun shy here. But I can tell you from my experience he is smart enough not to put himself in a situation where he can't be successful. He might be one of the more astute GM's we've ever had in the FO.

This makes me feel better. My initial thought was that here's a desperate guy who has been away for 9 or so years who might just walk into a bad situation. Thanks again for sharing.

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Another thank you for a great post. How did you become an Orioles fan?

If what you say is true (not doubting you in anyway) then my hope is that DD can reassign the people he is forced to keep to "other better suited" positions. Or even if they have to keep their positions he places people below them that he trusts and just goes with what those people say. Honestly, how many people here work in large corporations, which the Orioles essential are? If so you have to know people who have positions in management who only have the jobs they do because of who they know. In those organizations that are successful you just kinda sidestep those individuals and tolerate them. If DD is smart enough, hopefully that will not be a problem in helping to develop the new "old" Oriole way. You know the way we won by bringing up HOF players through the minors and adding FA or traded players to augument players who really knew how to play baseball. Suddenly I have a slight positive feeling again about the Orioles. That is why I am an addict!

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As most of you guys know, I played baseball for the Red Sox in the early 90's.. was drafted by Lou Gorman and two years later Duquette took over as GM. I spent 2 years while Duquette was GM for the Red Sox What I wanted to do is give you guys an inside feel as to how the scene was prior, during while I was with the organization. Also give you a feel, as the fan what to expect from him from the top all the way down to the players.

Before Duquette

In the years of 92-93 the organization was pretty much how the O's are today.. not many prospects within the organization. Player personnel wasn't very good, it was more like a good old boys network that have been around for years. Coaching wasn't very good.. Although Bailey was pretty decent at Pawtucket.. but the remaining coaching staff through the minors was below average. Spring Trainings were ran like a country club.. no accountability, outside of just showing up on time. People would workout and then take off and go home while the game was still going on... it was a come and go as you please atmosphere.. but just make sure you show up on time LOL Clemens basically ran the show, he didn't have to abide by any of these rules and looking back, i can see why him and Duquette bumped heads once he took over the GM position in 94.

The facilities were just god awful, the Winter Haven complex made Ft. Lauderdale look like Camden Yards. Hell I remember getting our catered lunch and there was a pond right next to the clubhouse.. they'd have gators sitting right next to the damn tables while we were eating... as a 17 year old kid.. that scared the be-jesus out of me. LOL It just looked like a junkyard rather than a big league facility. Kind of like how the minor league complex looked in Sarasota for a long time, but 20 times worse. In 93, they relocated to Ft. Myers to a beautiful new stadium and minor league complex.. it was the best of the best at the time.

Duquette the New GM

Duquette was hired in 94 and when we showed up for spring training that year everything was totally different than it had been in the past. Majority of the player development and coaching staffs had been let go and he replaced them with hand picked coaches/development guys. This is where he's going to be most valuable to the Orioles. If you take a look back at all the guys he brought in to the organization as coaches and player development you'll recognize all these names are now in the big leagues in one form or another. Guys he brought in are as follows: Ken Macha, Bob Geren, Rick Peterson, DeMarlo Hale, Bob Shaeffer (Minor League Director), Al Nipper and the list goes on and on.. I'm sure i'm missing some good names but you get the picture... Most of these guys were guys that had bright futures in the game of baseball as coaches, player development guys etc... There were no guys just hanging around to collect a paycheck.. I can tell you as players, we couldn't stand Bob Shaeffer.. He was instructed by Duquette to change the entire MO of the organization from free reign, to fall in line or pack your stuff up and leave. Big change for us as players... I can tell you now, looking back.. I respect Shaeffer and Dick Berardino for all of their tough love.. They helped mold me to who I am today. Just like all 18 year old kids, we thought we knew what's best for us, when really we had no clue... Thank god for those guys.

Everything was regimented, from report times, treatments to side work, early work, stretching, conditioning, how you wore your uniform, offseason workouts, etc.. There was a plan for everything. No more wandering around in the offseason trying to figure out what to do to prepare for the upcoming season. This is another area where Duquette will help in this organization that sometimes seems like it's just a paper bag floating in the wind below the big league club. He will bring in top notch player personnel, coaches, trainers and FO guys to get this club to where it needs to be.. as you heard in his presser, he likes to have a lot players so they can help at the big league level and help bolster the big league team via trades... Make one thing for certain, he will not wait for the market to develop... he will execute trades if they're good for him.. he's very aggressive in this category. His track record speaks for itself.

International Front

in 95 I noticed we were getting a lot more latin guys into camp... He's very big on the international front. This will be a big sigh of relief for members on this board who constantly nailed McPhail for hardly dipping his toes into these waters. While I was there.. He brought in Freddy Sanchez, Rafael Betancourt (SS at the time), Jose Olmeda (top 10 prospect at one time) to name a few.. I'm missing a bunch of names so bare with me.. i'm trying to write all of this out for you guys... but I noticed we had latin guys from Panama, Dominican, PR, Aruba, Venezuela etc.. We had them from all over man and a bunch of them. He likes to gobble up as much talent from those countries in hopes that he lands a handful of prospects.. as you heard in his presser today, he likes to be aggressive and sign at reasonable dollars and get as many in as he can.

Talent

Duquette after 94 infused the club with more talent than it's ever had.. outside of me:thumbsup1: he drafted very well.. Garciaparra, Hillenbrand, Youklis, Pavano, Brian Rose, Donnie Sadler, Brian Barkley, Michael Coleman, Cole Liniak, Paxton Crawford, Matt Kinney, Jim Chamblee, Rontrez Johnson, Steve Lomasney.. as you see those are just a few names that made the big leagues under his drafts.. 94 and 95 drafts... Those are alot players that either made it to Boston or were dealt to bolster the big league club. I can't recall the O's ever having that many players from 2 drafts making it to the big leagues. Believe me folks, they just don't call anyone up to the big squad unless you're good. Even though most of you might know these names, they were well respected names at the time.

Duquette The Person

As most of you have read, he's known to have pissed a lot of people off in Boston... Yes, he can come off as a *****.. He's a very intelligent person and he knows it... some people look at that as arrogance... I know with my one on one talks with him as a player.. he truly wants you to succeed.. He's there for you and will do anything for you and is very personable with us... But if you step out of line, he will be your worst night mare... Let's just say without divulging too many details... I made a mistake and it cost me a week on the DL for something stupid.. After my first treatment session he called me into his office.. I sat down and he layed into my tail and was warned if anything was to happen like that again, I might as well not report to the park. Pretty clear on my instructions :D All in all, the players got along with him well.. he's very personable when the camaras aren't around.

Overall he's exactly what this team needs in a very bad way.. some of my best years came under his tuteledge.. He's not afraid to take chances, he will invest in the international market heavily and he's got great connections within the industry. And he's not afraid to piss someone off to make his team better... I'm pretty excited for the O's organization today, they have a good guy finally running the ship like most here wanted it to be ran.

Summary

As you can see, the O's organization is almost similar to what he inherited in Boston. He developed a lot of talent to either help the big team or to trade to get vital pieces for the big team. He had second to none player development guys as well as exec's to get that organization back to elite status.. Most of those pieces for 2004 were brought along in the organization that he developed and he doesn't get enough credit for that. I think the O's finally got someone that will help them be relevant in Major League Baseball again.

If anyone has any questions relating to my time spent there under him that I might not have covered just fire away and I will answer all questions in this thread.

SoxHotCorner

Great context and perspective. Couple of thoughts:

Sounds like so much of what he did was just good old baseball acumen? In your opinion where is he so much better than MacPhail

I would be interested to get your take - and this is going to be tough - based on his comments today were you getting a sense of timetable as to when he felt the club could be competitive?

Love your feedback

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