Brian Graham Out

[jamalshw]

Just now, Frobby said:

Does everything have to be about Brady?

I think Brian Graham did a decent job here, and I wish him well.   That said, Elias is wasting no time in putting his own stamp on scouting and player development.    I’m looking forward to seeing who he puts in the key spots he now needs to fill.    It’s Elias’ organization now.   

This is the area that Elias has his most experience and most connections. It makes sense this is the area he revamps first. As for Brady, his role was always a bit more nebulous. It's not necessarily tied directly to a singular area, at least based on how it's been presented.

[24fps]

3 minutes ago, LookitsPuck said:

I’d hope he’s smart enough to see how the organizational structure allowed him to step on Dan’s toes.

Exactly right.  In my mind changing this will be a key signal regarding Elias' potential for success.  With or without Brady staying with the organization.

[murph]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Does everything have to be about Brady?

I think Brian Graham did a decent job here, and I wish him well.   That said, Elias is wasting no time in putting his own stamp on scouting and player development.    I’m looking forward to seeing who he puts in the key spots he now needs to fill.    It’s Elias’ organization now.   

It probably shouldn't be, but I can't help but feel like this may be the final exchange between Elias and Brady at some point: 

 

[interloper]

1 minute ago, jamalshw said:

This is the area that Elias has his most experience and most connections. It makes sense this is the area he revamps first. As for Brady, his role was always a bit more nebulous. It's not necessarily tied directly to a singular area, at least based on how it's been presented.

This is a good point. The priority is getting the scouting/development team in order. 

I could see Brady staying on for a year and then leaving. I could also see him getting canned today or tomorrow. 

[jsbearr]

18 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Yet Brady remains. Brian Graham by all accounts was a good baseball mind. I'm ok with Elias cleaning house, but that means Brady should be gone too. Elias being hired must have included an understanding that Brady is staying.

Good baseball mind. Great personality.

If what I heard out of the analytics group and a scout was accurate, Graham was not a friend of analytical implementation in the minors and empowered others to ensure that perspective.  That perspective would run completely counter to what Elias and Mejdal have done in their prior gigs.

There is certainly a place for Graham in the baseball world, but he did not look like much of a fit in Baltimore with the new guys in town.

[interloper]

1 minute ago, jsbearr said:

Good baseball mind. Great personality.

If what I heard out of the analytics group and a scout was accurate, Graham was not a friend of analytical implementation in the minors and empowered others to ensure that perspective.  That perspective would run completely counter to what Elias and Mejdal have done in their prior gigs.

There is certainly a place for Graham in the baseball world, but he did not look like much of a fit in Baltimore with the new guys in town.

With things like this, it's probably more about Elias having a guy in mind moreso than something being wrong with Graham. And perhaps he was offered a different role and turned it down, we don't know.

[interloper]

This blurb from MLBTR:

Quote

With Graham and Rajsich both out the door, two of the three top-ranking executives mentioned in the Orioles’ press release announcing a “transition in baseball operations leadership” are now out of the organization; of that trio, only vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson remains. 

 

[canonfaz]

25 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Yet Brady remains. Brian Graham by all accounts was a good baseball mind. I'm ok with Elias cleaning house, but that means Brady should be gone too. Elias being hired must have included an understanding that Brady is staying.

Hopefully they at least let Elias take down that picture in Dan's old office.

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, jsbearr said:

Good baseball mind. Great personality.

If what I heard out of the analytics group and a scout was accurate, Graham was not a friend of analytical implementation in the minors and empowered others to ensure that perspective.  That perspective would run completely counter to what Elias and Mejdal have done in their prior gigs.

There is certainly a place for Graham in the baseball world, but he did not look like much of a fit in Baltimore with the new guys in town.

Thanks for the insight.    It’s very important that the guys working under Elias be on the same page.  Elias and Mejdal have both emphasized how true that was in Houston.   So I’m completely in favor of him taking steps to get the front office in tune with his approach.    

[canonfaz]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Thanks for the insight.    It’s very important that the guys working under Elias be on the same page.  Elias and Mejdal have both emphasized how true that was in Houston.   So I’m completely in favor of him taking steps to get the front office in tune with his approach.    

Brady does strike me as the type that will be open to analytics though. He seems to be always looking for improved methods to train. I could see him being completely open to incorporating way more analytics into decision making.

[Moose Milligan]

23 minutes ago, atomic said:

Elias said he was relying on the current staff to make decisions on currently players right now.  I am now sure whom is left to rely on.

I think this notion is overrated.  Elias had to campaign for this job, that means doing research and showing the Angelos Bros what he was able to ascertain about where the organization is and where it needs to go.  He might not have had super in depth information but part of being a good GM is understanding what other teams have as well, both on their current roster and in their systems.  Elias and the rest of the Astros brainstrust tangoed with the Orioles on the Britton trade a couple years ago, I am assuming he was playing a key part in analyzing Britton and seeing if the Orioles had any other interesting pieces.

18 minutes ago, barellano said:

It's entirely possible that Elias actually likes Brady, thinks he's valuable to the team and wants to keep him. I know that's not the general consensus here, but we really don't know anything. He could also be fired later today lol. 

You must be new here.  We know everything.  At least we like to think we do.  

9 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Elias is moving even quicker than I thought he could. 

This is awesome 

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Does everything have to be about Brady?

   

Yes.

1 minute ago, jsbearr said:

Good baseball mind. Great personality.

If what I heard out of the analytics group and a scout was accurate, Graham was not a friend of analytical implementation in the minors and empowered others to ensure that perspective.  That perspective would run completely counter to what Elias and Mejdal have done in their prior gigs.

There is certainly a place for Graham in the baseball world, but he did not look like much of a fit in Baltimore with the new guys in town.

Thanks for the inside scoop.  

If true, this is unfortunate.  If you're a development guy, GM...hell, anything involved with analysis and acquisition for an ML team, I am not sure why you WOULDN'T be interested in advanced stats and analytics.  I am not sure why you wouldn't want every piece of information you could possibly gather to help you get an advantage over your opponents.  

There's that whole "nerds are taking over" that Goose Gossage rails against but if Goose stopped to pull his head out of his ass, he'd see that the nerd we just hired did a bang-up job in Houston.  

Adapt or die.  

[jsbearr]

2 minutes ago, canonfaz said:

Brady does strike me as the type that will be open to analytics though. He seems to be always looking for improved methods to train. I could see him being completely open to incorporating way more analytics into decision making.

As a GM, I would wonder what Brady offers me. He famously operated without the oversight of Buck or Dan. He would not communicate to developmental staff what he was telling players and would often lead players on different instruction than developmental staff were telling them to go.  He would encourage players to resist some coaching.  He may have been correct in those instances, but do you really want a guy in your system who was completely indifferent to the organization and to communicating what he was doing in the organization?

[murph]

1 minute ago, canonfaz said:

Brady does strike me as the type that will be open to analytics though. He seems to be always looking for improved methods to train. I could see him being completely open to incorporating way more analytics into decision making.

I am pretty sure Elias referenced that there are analytics out there just like that, for specific training for specific players in their development in his call with the Fan last night as well.  I also liked how he said a lot of new analytical information is just starting to become available.  Maybe the O's organization ends up being the front runner on new paths/ways to use this information.  Maybe in a few years all baseball teams will be trying to copy what has happened here!  Once can dream, can't he? 

[weams]

1 minute ago, jsbearr said:

As a GM, I would wonder what Brady offers me. He famously operated without the oversight of Buck or Dan. He would not communicate to developmental staff what he was telling players and would often lead players on different instruction than developmental staff were telling them to go.  He would encourage players to resist some coaching.  He may have been correct in those instances, but do you really want a guy in your system who was completely indifferent to the organization and to communicating what he was doing in the organization?

It will be very interesting to see if Mike keeps Brady very long. 

[interloper]

2 minutes ago, weams said:

It will be very interesting to see if Mike keeps Brady very long. 

It's maybe the most fascinating Orioles-related thing in awhile. Whatever happens, it's going to be interesting.