Another POBO candidate: J.J. Picollo

[mazeville]

Another name on the list: Royals Assistant GM J.J. Picollo, per Jon Heyman.

 

No, I haven't heard of him, either.

 

http://www.todaysknuckleball.com/inside-baseball-with-jon-heyman/heyman-royals-picollo-candidate-twins-front-office/

 

[Badsmerf]

Not sure that's the organization I want to copy...

[SwainZag]

 

Not sure that's the organization I want to copy...

 

I don't think hiring someone from another team directly means copying their approach.

[Mr. Brooks]

Not sure that's the organization I want to copy...

I take it you agree with Jham (I think it was him, sorry if not), that the Royals somehow luck boxed into consecutive World Series appearances?

[Thrylos]

The scariest part about that writeup was the last sentence:

 

"Rob Antony, the Twins’ interim GM, is considered a candidate as well."

 

Picollo comes from the Braves' organization, he recently joined the Royals.

[Obsvr]

woof

[nicksaviking]

I take it you agree with Jham (I think it was him, sorry if not), that the Royals somehow luck boxed into consecutive World Series appearances?

I'm more of the mind that draft picks resulting from two decades of futility played a large role. The Royals have done some things well, but so much of it seemed to be "right place at the right time" kind of success. Once this run is through, and it looks like this year may be it, I wouldn't have a ton of faith in Moore being able to rebuild and doing it again.

 

Not that Picollo isn't a completely different human being.

[FargoFanMan]

Really people??? Isn't the whole point of this to win the World Series? They did it. They molded a TEAM! Made one out away from winning it. Dominated the next year and took it. Who cares how they did it. They won a a World Series and will most likely compete again next year. I don't know what people expect around here but I don't think God is on the interview list.

[Mr. Brooks]

Yep.

I know some people disagree, but to me the goal is to win the World Series.

Division banners do nothing for me.

I'll take 1 WS trophy and 5 90 loss seasons over 6 division banners and 6 one and dones every day of the week.

[kenbuddha]

Rany mentioned him a bit in this article a few years ago,

http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2013/06/dont-blame-k.html

[mazeville]

 

The scariest part about that writeup was the last sentence:

 

"Rob Antony, the Twins’ interim GM, is considered a candidate as well."

 

Picollo comes from the Braves' organization, he recently joined the Royals.

 

He ain't going to be the POBO. GM? I guess. But it would be an utter shock if the Twins hired him as the POBO.

 

It would be an utterly stupid move and a big middle finger to season ticket holders and other fans who are tired of seeing this team lose year after year. They're not that idiotic. 

[Guest]

He comes well-recommended by an old friend.

[Guest]

Not sure that's the organization I want to copy...

The Royals zigged when everyone else was zagging, by innovating or excelling in at least three areas that were undervalued by the market - bullpen, defense and contact hitting; stuck with their young talent instead of dumping them at the first sign of adversity and replacing them with no-upside replacement level players; and made good, strategic trades and signings of veterans, on a timely basis, to supplement their core. These actions allowed them to play in two World Series, winning one, on a low budget. What about that don't you like?

 

Note: the opposite is what we've seen for several years.

[Jham]

 

The Royals zigged when everyone else was zagging, by innovating or excelling in at least three areas that were undervalued by the market - bullpen, defense and contact hitting; stuck with their young talent instead of dumping them at the first sign of adversity and replacing them with no-upside replacement level players; and made good, strategic trades and signings of veterans, on a timely basis, to supplement their core. These actions allowed them to play in two World Series, winning one, on a low budget. What about that don't you like?

Note: the opposite is what we've seen for several years.

 

I mean, I get that, and I appreciate it.  They traded their Buxton (Will Meyers) to go after it... and I can't believe I'm saying this, but bullpen, defense, and contact hitting, while certainly moneyball in its effort to find undervalued players, is certainly very un-moneyball as it tends to fly in the face of analytics.  

 

Mr. Brooks, the reason I believe luck played a roll, is partly because they were projected to win 79 games last year.  Beating their projection so badly likely involved some luck.  

Mostly, I'm saying the Royals were lucky because their strategy of patience and building a youthful core failed miserably for 20 years.  I mean, eventually the right class will come through, but it might be a decade or more before stars align and the right prospects peak together.  It wasn't until they started making "win now" moves that they actually won.. now.  At the same time, I have doubts about the Royals ability to maintain their success because their roster lacks elite talent and thus requires 3 absolutely elite and untouchable arms at the back of the pen.  

 

If the Royals realized that Meyers was overvalued, Wade Davis was actually a relief pitcher, and that their roster needed an absolutely shut down pen to win, then they were extremely shrewd.  I've already said I think this roster will be good enough to win if we have a dominant rotation or shutdown pen.  But relievers aren't really undervalued anymore, we don't appear to have the arms that KC has/had.  Basically, out of the Royals last say 7 rebuild efforts, only 1 worked, and it's when they started abandoning the "wait and see" approach.  In my opinion.

Maybe luck is the wrong term.  Eventually the odds are that you'll hit on the right class of prospects.  Maybe the Royals were unlucky that it took so long.  They certainly have made some schrewd moves to take advantage of the good luck in either case.

 

 

[nicksaviking]

The Royals zigged when everyone else was zagging, by innovating or excelling in at least three areas that were undervalued by the market - bullpen, defense and contact hitting; stuck with their young talent instead of dumping them at the first sign of adversity and replacing them with no-upside replacement level players; and made good, strategic trades and signings of veterans, on a timely basis, to supplement their core. These actions allowed them to play in two World Series, winning one, on a low budget. What about that don't you like?

Note: the opposite is what we've seen for several years.

Yeah, but everyone knows what they did to succeed. If we just want to copy that model, the team can hire anyone; the blueprint isn't copywrited. KC didn't do anything innovative, they walked into Terry Ryan's discarded early 2000's method of competing on the cheap: good defense and a good bullpen.

 

Reading more on Picollo, he was passed over by the Phillies and Astros as they wanted analytical GMs. If that's a weakness, I'd pass too.

[Guest]

Yeah, but everyone knows what they did to succeed. If we just want to copy that model, the team can hire anyone; the blueprint isn't copywrited. KC didn't do anything innovative, they walked into Terry Ryan's discarded early 2000's method of competing on the cheap, good defense and a good bullpen.

Reading more on Picollo, he was passed over by the Phillies and Astros as they wanted analytical GMs. If that's a weakness, I'd pass too.

When hiring, it's more important to hire a mindset - or copy a mindset - than to hire a system. Also, you don't hire someone just because everyone else thinks it's the right person, or not hire someone because nobody else wanted to hire him. Hopefully, using your own independent analysis, you can figure out what to do. The Twins need mental flexibility more than anything. I don't know if Picollo is the right guy or not, but disregarding him because you don't like the way Kansas City won doesn't make sense. Frankly, if the Twins merely adopt the thinking of other teams, regardless of the team, they will never win anything, because they won't have the resources or the experience of those teams.

 

Finally, re the Royals getting lucky: very few World Series winners are predicted to win it at the start of the season. By this expectation, both Twins championships were most definitely "lucky" and perhaps only the Yankees of the Jeter years were not lucky.

[HitInAPinch]

 

He ain't going to be the POBO. GM? I guess. But it would be an utter shock if the Twins hired him as the POBO.

 

It would be an utterly stupid move and a big middle finger to season ticket holders and other fans who are tired of seeing this team lose year after year. They're not that idiotic. 

 

From this mornings Star Tribune: 

 

"Two more names have surfaced in the Twins search for a leader of their baseball department, but only one of them turned out to be a candidate."

 

So Picollo did, in fact, interview for the PoBO position.

 

EDIT:  Actually, looking back, I can't really tell if you meant Antony or Picollo.....

 

The other person, former Boston GM Ben Cherington, declined the interview, however:   "indications are that they ended up picking his brain about potential candidates."

 

And, to be clear on the selections for interviews:  "They have worked off a list of candidates they assembled along with suggestions from executive search firm Korn Ferry."

 

 

 

 

 

[HitInAPinch]

 

 

Not sure that's the organization I want to copy...

 

Humor:  It's a difficult concept......     

[HitInAPinch]

 

 

He comes well-recommended by an old friend.

Dan Fife ???  WOW, had to dig deep for that one   

[Guest]

Dan Fife ???  WOW, had to dig deep for that one   

If you're going to bring back the old gang, you have to know who to invite.

[nicksaviking]

Has anyone seen anything on who is involved in the interviews aside from Pohlad and St. Peter? Is the search firm also sitting down for these interviews? There has to be someone with strong baseball acumen right?

 

I also hope that Cherrington's and Anthopoulos's declination to even interview causes Jim Pohlad to take a long contemplative look at the reasons this team isn't attracting top names while the other pro teams in Minnesota have.

 

[USAFChief]

Has anyone seen anything on who is involved in the interviews aside from Pohlad and St. Peter? Is the search firm also sitting down for these interviews? There has to be someone with strong baseball acumen right?

 

I also hope that Cherrington's and Anthopoulos's declination to even interview causes Jim Pohlad to take a long contemplative look at the reasons this team isn't attracting top names while the other pro teams in Minnesota have.

If, indeed, Cherrington and Anthopoulos both declined, that's a very discouraging development, IMO.

 

Not that they, specifically, won't be "the guy," but that natural candidates, who almost certainly are looking for another opportunity and will probably each get one, would remove themselves from this one.

 

That would seem to me an indication of how the Twins are viewed by others...and not a good indication.

[nicksaviking]

 

If, indeed, Cherrington and Anthopoulos both declined, that's a very discouraging development, IMO.

Not that they, specifically, won't be "the guy," but that natural candidates, who almost certainly are looking for another opportunity and will probably each get one, would remove themselves from this one.

That would seem to me an indication of how the Twins are viewed by others...and not a good indication.

 

Particularly when the team is viewed as still having a very strong pool of youthful talent.

 

Just prior to Ryan getting fired, Jim Pohlad had popped out of his rabbit hole and sat down for more interviews than he'd done in a decade. I'd sure like another one right about now if only for one of the local reporters to make it clear that this team is more important to the area than the Wolves or the Wild and fans expect at minimum the same level of commitment to doing this right.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I also hope that Cherrington's and Anthopoulos's declination to even interview causes Jim Pohlad to take a long contemplative look at the reasons this team isn't attracting top names while the other pro teams in Minnesota have.

On the other hand, McLeod accepted the interview, when just a couple years ago he declined consideration for his hometown GM job in San Diego.

 

http://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/11159119/jason-mcleod-cubs-senior-vice-president-player-development-amateur-scouting-withdraws-name-san-diego-padres-general-manager-search

 

At this point, though, I am wondering more if McLeod will be interviewing Pohlad, more than the other way around...

[jimmer]

I remember the song David Lee Roth sang about JJ Picollo.

 

'I'm just a Picollo, and everywhere I go. People know the part I'm playing. Paid for every dance, selling each romance. Ooh, and they're sayin'....'

 

[nicksaviking]

 

On the other hand, McLeod accepted the interview, when just a couple years ago he declined consideration for his hometown GM job in San Diego.

 

http://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/11159119/jason-mcleod-cubs-senior-vice-president-player-development-amateur-scouting-withdraws-name-san-diego-padres-general-manager-search

 

At this point, though, I am wondering more if McLeod will be interviewing Pohlad, more than the other way around...

 

Good point on the first paragraph. Even if we as fans don't buy the idea that these guys won't interview for "personal reasons", perhaps there are some.

 

And I really don't want to be negative as we are finally getting a change as we requested, but when we've already heard "no" from the first two guys the TD fan base brainstormed, a sense of worry is inevitable.

[nicksaviking]

 

I hope it's not a duet:

 

I remember the song David Lee Roth sang about JJ Picollo.

 

Picollo: 'I'm just a Picollo, and everywhere I go. People know the part I'm playing. Paid for every dance, selling each romance. Ooh, and they're sayin'....'

 

Pohlad: "I ain't got nobody, Nobody cares for me, nobody, Nobody cares for me. I'm so sad and lonely, Sad and lonely, sad and lonely"

 

[magiklair]

 

The scariest part about that writeup was the last sentence:

 

"Rob Antony, the Twins’ interim GM, is considered a candidate as well."

 

Picollo comes from the Braves' organization, he recently joined the Royals.

Yes if Antony, does get it.. So much for change

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

On the other hand, McLeod accepted the interview, when just a couple years ago he declined consideration for his hometown GM job in San Diego.

 

http://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/11159119/jason-mcleod-cubs-senior-vice-president-player-development-amateur-scouting-withdraws-name-san-diego-padres-general-manager-search

 

At this point, though, I am wondering more if McLeod will be interviewing Pohlad, more than the other way around...

Yes and yes.

 

Two individuals declining to interview don't concern me much at this point, though if more candidates decline, it becomes a real problem.

 

From day one, McLeod was probably my personal favorite. I simply hope the Pohlads don't screw it up and force nonsensical things upon him that make him decide to stay put in Chicago for at least one more season.

 

The Twins have a lot going for them: young roster, pretty good farm system (with a top pick next June), middling payroll capabilities, a beautiful stadium... If they can't attract top talent, that means ownership is probably getting in the way.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Wasn't he one of the guys on H.R. Pufnstuf?