McNamara Named Scouting Director
Yesterday the Mariners named Tom McNamara the team’s new scouting director. Tony Blengino, who came over from Milwaukee with McNamara, was given the title of assistant GM and Carmen Fusco is now in charge of pro scouting.
From the press release…
McNamara, 43, returns to his baseball roots as the Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting. He will oversee all levels of amateur scouting, as well as the June Amateur Draft. He was previously an area scout for the Mariners from 1994-2000, covering the Northeast. McNamara also played one season in the Mariners organization, appearing in 50 games for the Bellingham Mariners in 1988.
McNamara has 15 years of experience as a full-time scout. He spent the 2008 season as the Milwaukee Brewers East Coast cross checker. He previously served as a pro scout with the San Diego Padres for five seasons (2003-07). As an area scout for the Brewers during the 2001-02 seasons, McNamara scouted and signed All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder.
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Well not that it matters to anyone, but I feel much better knowing Blengino is the assistant GM having his background. We wanted someone that uses SABRmetrics better here and I figure it’s gotta be hard to ignore your ass GM.
Hopefully this turns into a great off-season for the M’s, but I’m already impatient awaiting his first move at the major league level.
so they have an official split between pro scouting and amateur scouting…
haha, ass
I know this is probably the wrong place to say this but I wanted to send out to all veterans a thank-you.
Yeah, as was discussed a bit when he was named (but not given an official title), Blengino’s SABR credentials are heartening. It certainly looks like Zduriencik is building an org that blends stats and scouts. It’s early days, and we’re reading some pretty sparse tea leaves still, but it’s looking about as good as we could’ve hoped. I hope we soon hear rumors of Blengino putting together a small, smart IT team….
ass GM
I thought we all agreed to stop talking about Bavasi.
Carmen Fusco
I love this name, though I’m still convinced that was a character on Happy Days or Laverne & Shirley. I really want him to swap first or last names with Fausto Carmona.
So Carmen Fusco is what now stands between our team and disasters like Sexson and Silva. Does anyone know anything about him and what he might have done to merit this post?
he grew up with Zduriencik in New Castle PA?
he does have a lot of experience
sounds like Fusco followed a similar career path to Zduriencik, and that he holds both Z and his father in high regard
[ot]
[response to ot]
As much as some people (including me) thought that Z might be too much of an “old school” pick for GM, his first moves seem to indicate that he is moving in the right direction.
Making a SABR member Asst GM … NOT going for a retread for Manager … certainly shows that Z is NOT stuck in old-school thinking and seems open to new ideas.
Watch for the USSM guys to be hired to the stats department. 😉
Well, I wouldn’t hold our collective breaths. If bad-mouthing Hargrove’s decisions openly as Rohn did means you’re not a manager candidate, then I think most of us here are OFF the short list. 🙂
Carmen Fusco
Where in the world is he?
McNamara was on KJR yesterday, and the interview is online.
This isn’t directly on topic, [deleted, not directly on topic]
[still ot]
The KJR host annoyed me with his obsession with Josh Fields and getting him signed. Is this guy aware that we could get that pick back this yr, and no blow it on a closer?
tealfan44,
I wondered the same thing, and I guess not. More proof that a broadcast journalism degree doesn’t necessarily make you knowledgeable about baseball.
I understand that they could get a supplemental pick for not signing Fields, but is it really that wise to NOT sign him at all? I’d assume see them sign him. Part of a pitching staffs’ success is based on its ability to ‘shorten’ games, or make it so that if teams don’t score early, the game gets tougher.
I understand the notion of a stellar first draft for Z & Co. and how many first round picks they could conceivably have in June, but it seems like a mistake to NOT sign someone, just because they’re a reliever. Is it really in the best interests of the team, which is trying to do a quick turnaround (their hope), to pass on last year’s first round pick?
If you do pass, how does that make them win sooner? Fields may not equal winning sooner (he may never make it to the majors, for all we know), but he could be a piece to that puzzle.
Brent, it wouldn’t be a supplemental pick, it’d be the 22nd overall.
It was my understanding that Tony Blengino was named “Special Assistant to the General Manager” not Assistant General Manager, a title that Lee Pelekoudas still holds. Did I miss something in the press release?
Zduriencik, Executive Vice President & General Manager
Pelekoudas, VP & Associate General Manager
McNamara, Director of Amateur Scouting
Fusco, Director of Pro Scouting
Blengino, Special Assistant to the General Manager, Baseball Operations.
Thanks for the clarification/confirmation. The previous references to “ass GM” threw me. I’m curious to see what Blengino’s role in the organization will be, “Special Assistant to the General Manager, Baseball Operations” is a rather ambiguous title.
It sounds to me like the idea is this: Blengino will be Zduriencik’s chief deputy on the baseball-operations side (as Pelekoudas presumably will be on the business side), and his specific responsibilities will be developed operationally as Zduriencik figures out how best to make use of his own time.
in the ongoing FO openness, Carmen Fusco hit KJR today, audio here.
I aggree. we are all in agreement that the Fields pick was not the best slot to pick a reliever. But that’s what we’ve got. Everyone agrees he’s a major league talent. This team needs talent and signing him may allow us to trade JJ for more. So the M’s ‘overpay’ him–compared to where he should have been drafted–and move forward. I like the 22nd pick, but I think this is a net gain to pay him the extra $500,000, get more talent with the JJ Putz trade, use the 2 Ibanez picks, use the 2nd pick overall. That nets us, to me, a pretty good haul of quality young talent….all of it is quite cheap.
No, it isn’t.
Let him walk, you get the same pick this year and get someone who’s better suited for a draft pick. Don’t forget…relief pitchers are the easiest parts of the team to create. Y’all seem stuck on roles, hm?
Depends on your priorities. Let Fields go, you probably get a better prospect. Sign him, the odds are you get a ML-ready player sooner (if you get one at all). It depends on which is more important, ceiling or ETA.
Given the shape this team is in, I’d vote for ceiling, and let Fields walk. But there is an argument to be made the other way. (The idea that signing him means we could then trade Putz because Fields could replace him, however, isn’t it.)