Playing To Win

We're not here for the underdog story

Craig Breslow’s path to the big leagues included a brief but career-saving stop in Little Falls, New Jersey, which sounds like a great place for a flyball pitcher. The township is home to Yogi Berra Stadium, where the New Jersey Jackals once hosted opponents in baseball’s independent leagues.

Plenty of Yale graduates migrate towards New York City after their time in New Haven ends. Not many molecular biophysics and biochemistry majors find work in the Can-Am League.

The Brewers selected Breslow out of Yale in the 26th round of the 2002 Draft. He pitched for parts of three seasons in the Milwaukee system before being released on July 6, 2004. Not ready to give up the dream, Breslow found a way to continue his career in New Jersey.

Nobody loved an underdog more than Bill Bryk, the late, great scout who had friends throughout the unaffiliated ranks of the game. Breslow impressed scouts during a tryout camp run by Bryk and the Padres prior to the 2005 season and was signed to a minor-league contract. By July — a little over 12 months after the Brewers had released him out of A-ball — he was pitching in San Diego (and sleeping on the couch of a WTP reader).

Breslow went on to pitch for Boston, Cleveland, Minnesota, Oakland, Arizona, Boston again, Miami, Minnesota again, and finally Cleveland again. In total, he accumulated nine years and 113 days of Major League service time. That’s about two months shy of the fully vested 10-year threshold. Upon reaching retirement age, he’ll receive 95% of the maximum player pension — not bad for a kid who was released out of the Cal League with a 7.19 ERA.

Breslow won a World Series as a player with the Red Sox in 2013. Now in his second season overseeing Red Sox baseball operations as Chief Baseball Officer, he has reshaped the organization in pursuit of a championship as an executive.

A recent story by Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic (subscription required) detailed significant reductions to the scouting staffs after a third-party company was hired by Breslow to “conduct an internal audit.” The Two Bobs, it seems, made their way to Fenway.

Amateur scouts, professional scouts, and international scouts were dismissed. McCaffrey’s reporting revealed that the amateur scouting department currently stands at 26 employees, a steep cut from the 34 who were part of it last year. Reductions outpaced additions on the pro and international sides, too.

None of this is new in the game. But as Boston’s research and development team grows, so does their reputation as one of the least scout-friendly organizations.

My curiosity lies in what parts of Breslow’s playing career have most shaped him as an executive. Does he feel that the traditional scouting and development system failed him as a player? After all, why should a pitcher good enough to appear in parts of 12 Major League seasons have been released and forced to establish himself through the independent leagues and a free agent tryout?

At the same time, some of those scouting jobs that would discover the Craig Breslows of the world have been eliminated in Boston.

What parts of Breslow’s education and understanding of current technologies shape him as an executive?

The AL East seems wide open this year. Will Breslow’s reimagining of his team’s strategies lead to on-field success?

Fair or Foul?

The Red Sox were an all-or-nothing operation from 2012 to 2014. There’s a World Series title sandwiched between last-place finishes of 91 losses or more. I remember discussing the three-year tenure of general manager Ben Cherington, who oversaw the aforementioned seasons in Boston, with two high-ranking baseball officials. One of them posed the question: Would you rather have a track record like Cherington’s that included the championship or a tenure marked by consistency that could build to a World Series title?

I replied quickly. I wanted the ring. I’d absorb the lows to taste the Champagne.

I immediately knew that I provided an answer that didn’t match their philosophies. I felt a bit uneasy. But why else are we here, I wondered, if not to win?

In the years that have passed, I’ve grown comfortable with my response. I want to watch teams that play to win. How about you?

It’s baseball season! Happy Opening Week.