Jason McLeod Coming to Chicago

[Magnetic Curses]

i'm convinced he quit his job and is doing the meth thing full time now

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I'm not concerned about them being able to work together. I just think Wilken might not like having the carte blanche that he has for the last however many years. Theo and Hoyer are occasionally going to tell him, no, we don't like that guy here, pick your second choice, and I'm concerned about how long he'll be willing to deal with that part of it.

 

Oh OK, I can agree with that. I don't think Wilken would have been here much longer anyway, new GM or not. He's an older gentleman as it is, but more importantly he hasn't stayed with is past two franchises long enough to see the full fruits of his labor (maybe the Blue Jays, I can't remember the full time line). With the Rays he was there long enough to give them a few drafts, lay a foundation of how to scout and develop, and help them build their scouting department up. I expected when he took the job here he'd be doing something similar and would leave in less than a decade. I expect nothing's changed except his boss, and that he'll be gone when he feels his work here is done. I think his work will be done in one or maybe two years, at which point the farm system will be nearing machine status.

[Magnetic Curses]

yeah i can dig on that cat

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

yeah i can dig on that cat

 

Oh thank Jah. I can wipe the sweat off me brow now then...

 

;) WINK

[Magnetic Curses]

machine status

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

machine status

 

Quit spazzing spaz. Practice your words in a quiet corner somewhere.

[Magnetic Curses]

he's about ready to jump, maybe another nudge or two.

[series65cubsfan]

Ibl

[Magnetic Curses]

I sincerely doubt that Wilken is going to stay if he's not the one with the final say. And if he has the final say then McLeod isn't doing his job even for all intents and purposes. So IMO they're either going to have to let Wilken go or continue to let him be the main guy controlling the draft philosophy.

 

what happens now?

[Guest]

I sincerely doubt that Wilken is going to stay if he's not the one with the final say. And if he has the final say then McLeod isn't doing his job even for all intents and purposes. So IMO they're either going to have to let Wilken go or continue to let him be the main guy controlling the draft philosophy.

 

what happens now?

 

 

I'd guess he's not long for this organization.

[davell]

I think a guy like Wilken could be an extremely valuable asset to Theo. Wilken is certainly an old school scout, but Theo uses that as much as he does the saber side. He knows how to blend it all together. And Wilken did a pretty damn solid job this past draft, when given the resources to make bigtime picks. I hope he sticks around, because he's one of the best old school guys around and if leaves, Theo's just going to go get a different one anyway.

[jersey cubs fan]

I think a guy like Wilken could be an extremely valuable asset to Theo. Wilken is certainly an old school scout, but Theo uses that as much as he does the saber side. He knows how to blend it all together. And Wilken did a pretty damn solid job this past draft, when given the resources to make bigtime picks. I hope he sticks around, because he's one of the best old school guys around and if leaves, Theo's just going to go get a different one anyway.

 

Wilken is probably a very solid scout. But Wilken's job is to run the draft. And the Cubs just brought in a guy whose job is to run the draft. I'm sure the Cubs would be happy to keep him, but my guess is Wilken would prefer to be his own boss again.

[Cubswin11]

I think a guy like Wilken could be an extremely valuable asset to Theo. Wilken is certainly an old school scout, but Theo uses that as much as he does the saber side. He knows how to blend it all together. And Wilken did a pretty damn solid job this past draft, when given the resources to make bigtime picks. I hope he sticks around, because he's one of the best old school guys around and if leaves, Theo's just going to go get a different one anyway.

 

Wilken is probably a very solid scout. But Wilken's job is to run the draft. And the Cubs just brought in a guy whose job is to run the draft. I'm sure the Cubs would be happy to keep him, but my guess is Wilken would prefer to be his own boss again.

I am sure that's the position Wilken prefers, but it's a pretty scarce job. How many MLB teams right now are actively seeking someone to run their drafts? McLeod/Theo can put him in a role where he is still virtually his own boss, like executive president of scouting/talent evaluation, the only thing that really changes is come draft time his opinion/pick isn't the final word but just something that goes into the whole equation when selecting a draft pick.

[jersey cubs fan]

I am sure that's the position Wilken prefers, but it's a pretty scarce job. How many MLB teams right now are actively seeking someone to run their drafts? McLeod/Theo can put him in a role where he is still virtually his own boss, like executive president of scouting/talent evaluation, the only thing that really changes is come draft time his opinion/pick isn't the final word but just something that goes into the whole equation when selecting a draft pick.

 

He can't be his own boss if he's answering to a different guy who is making draft decisions.

 

And if Wilken is as well respected as he reportedly is in the draft game, then it should not be hard at all for him to find a new gig.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

You have to think Ricketts talked to him about his plans before signing him to an extension.

[Guest]

You have to think Ricketts talked to him about his plans before signing him to an extension.

 

Wilken didn't get an extension.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

You have to think Ricketts talked to him about his plans before signing him to an extension.

 

Wilken didn't get an extension.

 

Huh. That'd explain a lot.

[Guest]

I think Wilken will certainly stick around this year. If I had to guess, I'd say he departs at the end of his contract. But it won't necessarily be because his approach isn't valued by Theo/Hoyer/McLeod. I'd guess that if he leaves it is because he wants independence instead of being part of a "brain trust" approach.

[Guest]

Wilken talks about how much he likes the hiring of McLeod.

 

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/8457616-573/cubs-incumbent-scouting-director-tim-wilken-is-a-happy-camper.html?source=rss_teams_Chicago_Cubs

 

The Cubs executive who might have the most right to feel threatened by the latest round of hirings in the team’s top baseball offices sounds a lot more encouraged than anything else.

 

Maybe that’s because Tim Wilken knows new baseball president Theo Epstein’s history — and plans — for putting financial and intellectual resources into scouting and player development.

 

Maybe it’s even more about how well Wilken, the Cubs’ incumbent scouting director, knows the new scouting executive Epstein just hired: Jason McLeod, who now oversees both scouting and player development.

 

“I’m very happy that we got him over here for a number of reasons,’’ said Wilken, who has known McLeod for about eight years. “We’ve kind of migrated to each other in the past during some scouting director meetings and things like that. [His hiring] just kind of brought a smile to my face, and we’ve talked a little bit here in the last few days. And I really look forward to getting together with him and putting together this plan here to make us World Champions.’’

 

Wilken, a long-respected scouting director whose Toronto drafts in the 1990s included Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay, has spent the last six years helping improve the performance of the Cubs’ minor-league system.

 

“We’ve done a pretty decent job over here, but we can get better,’’ said Wilken, who anticipates a “marrying’’ of approaches that have worked with the Cubs in recent years and those brought in by the new trio of top honchos ­ from grading systems to languages and approaches used in evaluations.

 

Even with a step back in the system over the past year, the Cubs have put 14 players into the big leagues from their last six drafts and international signing classes — a number that ranks among the top five in baseball.

 

“We knew we even need to add to that list with more quality,’’ said Wilken. “And we’ve had decent quality. We need to get even better to be winners.’’

 

To that end, McLeod’s resume includes Red Sox draft classes that plucked MVP Dustin Pedroia, All-Stars Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz, and Jed Lowrie and Daniel Bard.

 

Wilken said he was impressed with San Diego’s 2011 draft, run by scouting director Jaron Madison and overseen by McLeod.

 

“We think we had a damn good one, too,’’ he said. “Now if we can marry that [expertise] together, I think the sky’s the limit.’’

[Clem Fandango]

I like all of that

[dew1679666265]

I like all of that

 

Yeah, if Wilken is cool with reporting to McLeod we could have two really good guys at the top of the scouting/player development department.

[davell]

This has basically been the equivalent of a struggling mom and pop store being bought out by a large and successful corporation. Hendry ran the FO with as few people as possible and now we've assembled an all star team. It's still sinking in for me really. Glad to see Wilken on board with everything.

[Guest]

If Wilken is really as excited as he sounds here, this could be a really great marriage. I think it will be fabulous to combine one of the best scouting directors in the game in Wilken with the new approach of the Boston guys and I'm even more excited about what we can do.

[dew1679666265]

If Wilken is really as excited as he sounds here, this could be a really great marriage. I think it will be fabulous to combine one of the best scouting directors in the game in Wilken with the new approach of the Boston guys and I'm even more excited about what we can do.

 

It could well be lip service and PR, but it seems that Wilken was a lot more positive about it than he needed to be. It would have been pretty easy for him to give some canned response, but since he didn't appear to I'm a lot more optimistic that we might keep him beyond this year.

 

Though I still think it's pretty unlikely.

[davearm2]

If Wilken is really as excited as he sounds here, this could be a really great marriage. I think it will be fabulous to combine one of the best scouting directors in the game in Wilken with the new approach of the Boston guys and I'm even more excited about what we can do.

Absolutely. Having the most valuable holdover from the old regime buying into the new regime is big.

 

One would think Wilken will greatly help ease the transition, too.