Fleita out; Brandon Hyde replaces Fleita

[Magnetic Curses]

This one may meet criteria

[El Duderino]

http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago-cubs/cubs-talk/Epstein-begins-search-for-farm-director?blockID=759499&feedID=10336

 

Three candidates interviewed, two internal.

[davell]

We canned 6 scouts today, including Richie Zisk. Altogether, it was 4 pro scouts, one amateur scout and a crosschecker.

[davell]

Names other than Zisk, are Rick Schroeder(who's headed back to Silver Spoons), Charlie Aliano, Joe Hausey, Tom Borque, and Tom Shafer.

[Vinestal]

Are they going to be replacing all those guys or are they just cutting the size of the scouting pool down. Seems like they'd be replacing them but I don't really have a deep understanding of the way front offices usually operate. Did we have more than what's normal or were they just really unhappy with the performance of these guys... I guess no one will know the whys.

[davell]

Without knowing for a fact, I definitely think they'll be replaced. Hendry ran a mom and pop store with the smallest amount of employees in all of baseball. My guess is they're replaced and we add additional guys as well.

[jersey cubs fan]

Are they going to be replacing all those guys or are they just cutting the size of the scouting pool down. Seems like they'd be replacing them but I don't really have a deep understanding of the way front offices usually operate. Did we have more than what's normal or were they just really unhappy with the performance of these guys... I guess no one will know the whys.

 

As Dew noted, the Cubs were a notoriously small operation from a front office standpoint prior to Ricketts. I'm not sure how much of that was Hendry, but Ricketts gave Theo the greenlight to do what is necessary and Theo clearly wants a much bigger group of potential secret santas, so I would expect them to replace these guys, and maybe add on total numbers.

[seattlecub]

I would like to see them add to the number of scouts they employ, following the Blue Jays model. With the new CBA limiting the amount you can spend on amateur talent, I like the Blue Jays' model of trying to improve the signings they do make. Granted, before this season, Toronto was also picking a gazillion draft choices and signing tons of IFA bonus babies, but I think the new, more (monetarily) level playing field makes it even more crucial than before to be right with the selections a team makes. Obviously, I also think that a team's ability to hit rather than miss on those selections can be improved with more scouts and therefore more eyes on and looks at players under consideration.

[Guest]

Brandon Hyde is the new farm director. He was the minor league field coordinator who was hired from the Marlins last offseason.

[jersey cubs fan]

The Cubs also named minor league field coordinator Brandon Hyde as the new director of player development, replacing Oneri Fleita.

[toonsterwu]

Brandon Hyde is the new farm director. He was the minor league field coordinator who was hired from the Marlins last offseason.

 

It's an interesting decision. I'm not sure how much say/influence Hyde had with the Marlins, but the Marlins system had some major issues in his last few years there. They certainly had some elite talent come through, and attrition was a factor, but a lot of guys seemed to stall, particularly on the arm side.

 

That said, there's only so much a minor league field coordinator could do. Hyde clearly fits more in line with this front office's way of thinking (although oddly ... I had thought that the Marlins were a bit more old school).

 

As for the scouting changes ... feel bad for those guys, but they should find gigs soon enough. Good for the Epstein/Madison/McLeod and Co. to get their guys in.