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***funkster*** · 10-13-2021, 06:00 PM

Cubs just hired Carter Hawkins of the Indians as their new GM.

***funkster*** · 10-13-2021, 06:15 PM

I have to say, there is nothing quite like baseball internet. "I'm not sure Hawkins is who the Cubs need, he seems like Theo and Jed". This person admittedly knows nothing about Hawkins, but apparently because he's young/white/fratty looking he's like Theo and Jed. Cubsdom is an odd sort of perpetual pessimism.

***rok*** · 10-13-2021, 07:11 PM

I'm fine with this hire. Cubs Twitter was going to complain regardless of who Jed picked.

Quote:Hawkins has risen from advance scouting intern to assistant general manager during his 14 seasons with Cleveland. He offers broad experience in baseball operations and a background in player development, a specific area of expertise that Hoyer focused on during interviews.

Hoyer, the longtime Cubs general manager who took over for Theo Epstein in November 2020, delayed the search last offseason, citing travel limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic and more pressing issues facing the team during that transition period.

While the Cubs and Hawkins are still in the final stages of the hiring process, an announcement is expected soon. MLB generally discourages clubs from making personnel announcements during the postseason, so the exact timing of Hawkins official hire is unclear. The American League Championship Series begins Friday while Game 1 of the National League Championship Series is scheduled for Saturday.

Clevelands track record of churning out pitchers is appealing to a Cubs organization that has traditionally struggled to identify pitchers in the draft and develop them through the minor leagues.

Hawkins, 37, graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2007 and earned four letters on the Commodores baseball team.

***funkster*** · 10-13-2021, 07:21 PM

Yeah, good with it too. Clearly they need the help in that area.

***Butcher*** · 10-13-2021, 10:22 PM

*shrug*

1060Ivy · 10-13-2021, 10:40 PM

As I know nothing about Hawkins nor thought much of the Indians scouting and development, what a terrible selection for GM

No clue on Hawkins and why he was selected over the other candidates. Guessing it’s still simply Jed’s show as it’s not clear how responsibilities will be delineated.

Good luck, Carter Hawkins

***funkster*** · 10-13-2021, 11:31 PM

This is likely why he was hired:

https://twitter.com/ballskwok/status/144...63520?s=20

***rok*** · 10-14-2021, 09:02 AM

Simple question for those who are underwhelmed by this hire. Who would you have preferred?

***funkster*** · 10-14-2021, 09:08 AM

I can't get over the criticisms that he's young and followed a vaguely similar career path to theo and jed.

1060Ivy · 10-14-2021, 10:04 AM

Preferred Carlos Rodriguez the Rays VP of development as Rays seem to have been able to both identify and develop prospects. No clue if theres a fit issue with Jed and Cubs organization nor if Carlos is any good at his job. Just appears that Rays consistently produce more prospects who deliver at MLB level.

Regarding Cubs inability to develop pitching prospects, believe one issue that hurt pitching development is that Cubs early on consistently selected position players over pitchers then pitchers with lower ceilings - and lower floors - that would be more able to get into the majors quicker. No clue if development is a bigger issue or scouting/priorities for draft has resulted in inability to consistently develop pitching prospects for majors.

Again, doubt if anyone is that upset with expected hire, Carter Hawkins, but was expecting someone from Rays organization.

Was going to add a sarcastic quip about lack of LGBTQ candidates but Im up for a position which has requested all my social media accounts so in case they review all social media posts - so yeah and .

***rok*** · 10-14-2021, 11:43 AM

As a staunch civil libertarian I would push back hard on that, but I don't think you have much to worry about. Good luck!

***funkster*** · 10-15-2021, 12:39 PM

Anyone have the Athletic write on Hawkins?

mrfelina · 10-15-2021, 01:06 PM

How Carter Hawkins could help the Cubs and Jed Hoyer in new GM role

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer isn’t looking to completely shift gears with the anticipated hiring of Carter Hawkins as general manager. That rerouting began near the end of the 2019 season, when Theo Epstein and Hoyer initiated sweeping changes throughout the organization and moved to replace manager Joe Maddon with <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/cubs/david-ross/">David Ross</a>. By this year’s July 30 trade deadline, Cubs officials believed they had reached a dead end with their celebrated core of players, leaving an almost unrecognizable team to take the field that night at Nationals Park after a huge sell-off. What Hoyer needs is another strong voice in the room, and Hawkins is an experienced administrator and evaluator after spending 14 seasons in Cleveland’s close-knit front office, rising from advance scouting intern through the player development department and up to assistant GM.

While Cleveland hasn’t won the World Series since 1948, its executive tree continues to branch out across the game. When Mark Shapiro left the franchise after the 2015 season to become Toronto’s president and CEO, he brought along Ross Atkins, a key figure in Cleveland’s player development department, to become Blue Jays GM. Hawkins received a promotion to assistant GM as part of the realignment that followed the 2016 World Series and the <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/team/twins/">Twins</a> hiring Derek Falvey as their chief baseball officer. Cleveland’s top baseball officials, president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff, have remained in place amid rumors linking them to New York during repeated executive searches by the <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/team/mets/">Mets</a>.

One baseball official compared Cleveland’s operation to a black box, given the industry’s curiosity surrounding the emergence of homegrown pitchers like <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/indians/shane-bieber/">Shane Bieber</a>, the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner who had been a fourth-round pick out of UC Santa Barbara in the 2016 draft. That draft class also included starting pitchers <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/indians/aaron-civale/">Aaron Civale</a> (12-5, 3.84 ERA this year) and <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/indians/zach-plesac/">Zach Plesac</a> (5.1 career WAR, per Baseball-Reference). Neither Civale (third round/Northeastern) nor Plesac (12th round/Ball State) came from the top of the draft or a traditional powerhouse in college baseball.

It’s misleading to give all the credit — or assign all the blame — to one person at the head of a department or think that one organization owns the magic formula. These are complex decisions that are supposed to be made in a collaborative manner, synthesizing information from multiple viewpoints. What the Cubs need is a connector, someone who can help integrate what employees described as an increasingly siloed operation. That feeling of isolation can be attributed, in part, to the remote work and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. But ownership’s decision to lay off 100-plus employees last year also hurt morale, diminishing what was once viewed as more of a family atmosphere. And then there’s 1908, how that quest to finally win the World Series created such a sense of purpose and unity within the organization, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Cleveland’s resourcefulness can be seen in the development of pitchers who previously struggled or changed course. Both <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/indians/triston-mckenzie/">Triston McKenzie</a> (the No. 42 pick in the 2015 draft) and <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/indians/cal-quantrill/">Cal Quantrill</a> (the No. 8 selection by the <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/team/padres/">Padres</a> in 2016) look like legitimate rotation weapons for Cleveland. That wasn’t so obvious when most assumed that McKenzie’s extremely slender build would force him to the bullpen, and Quantrill’s prospect shine had worn off by the time he was included in the 2020 trade-deadline deal that sent <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/padres/mike-clevinger/">Mike Clevinger</a> to San Diego. McKenzie and Quantrill still need time to truly establish themselves, but there appears to be some method to the madness when it comes to the pitching in Cleveland, an ability to identify pitching talent and then maximize those skills.

During his four years at Vanderbilt, Hawkins earned a degree in human and organizational development and overlapped with future Cy Young Award winner <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/dodgers/david-price/">David Price</a> and Derek Johnson, the widely regarded pitching coach who transitioned into professional baseball with the Cubs. Johnson worked as the organization’s minor-league pitching coordinator for three seasons (2013 through 2015) before taking major-league coaching jobs with the <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/team/brewers/">Brewers</a> and <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/team/reds/">Reds</a>. While the Cubs have employed talented instructors, changed personnel and philosophies over the years, and produced results at the major-league level, their pitching infrastructure remains a work in progress. The lack of homegrown pitchers became an acute issue after the 2016 World Series, forcing the Cubs to trade elite prospects and devote big chunks of payroll space to free-agent pitchers.

Patience is required in many of these cases; not every pitcher has instant success. Cleveland’s track record also includes mixed results in the first round in the decade since drafting <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/mets/francisco-lindor/">Francisco Lindor</a> with the No. 8 pick in the 2011 draft, or one spot ahead of where the Cubs selected <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/player/mlb/mets/javier-bez/">Javier Báez</a>. Furthermore, Cleveland has struggled to develop position players, creating an imbalance between the pitching and hitting sides of the organization, as chronicled by The Athletic’s Zack Meisel.

Player development would become a big part of Hawkins’ portfolio with the Cubs. Hoyer regards Matt Dorey — who shifted from amateur scouting director to become the vice president of player development prior to the 2020 season — as a strong leader and manager of people. Dorey’s also been put in charge of a department that’s undergoing a complete overhaul in the midst of a pandemic. That, on its own, is a lot for any farm director. But just in general, the size and scope of jobs in baseball operations have grown exponentially over the last several years, particularly in player development.

There’s the proliferation of information that must be parsed, understood properly and then eventually shared through coaches to players in an effective manner. Even within a scaled-down front office, the number of coaches and staffers a Cubs director oversees has grown significantly. Part of the restructuring included the Cubs adding more data-driven coaches throughout the system to complement the more traditional coaches.

The training methods have also evolved, leading to more changes in how the minor-league affiliates are run. Once the season starts, a director is in charge of five different teams across the country, five different coaching staffs and the issues that come along with each of those groups. Nutrition, housing, injuries, roster churn — the work flow is constant. With all that in mind, Hawkins will be expected to work hand in hand with Dorey.

Hawkins would represent a conventional hire for Hoyer, and title inflation is a trend within <a class="" href="https://theathletic.com/mlb/">Major League Baseball</a>. But being the Cubs GM is a big job that comes with a lot of opportunities and front-facing responsibilities. Hawkins’ experience would lighten the load in several areas and ideally help the Cubs’ new programs run more smoothly and efficiently. Of course, Hawkins’ value is expected to go beyond player development because a GM has to be on call 24/7 to handle transactions, off-the-field issues and corporate politics, and the Cubs have so much work to do after a 91-loss season.

***funkster*** · 10-15-2021, 01:09 PM

Ah, you rock...thanks.

1060Ivy · 10-15-2021, 02:32 PM

Letter from Ricketts to STHs:

Building the Next Great Cubs Team

Dear Cubs Fans,

In our 12 years together, never have we experienced so many ups and downs in one season. After 18 long months, we enjoyed our much-anticipated Wrigley Field reunion and celebrated some early season success on the field. Following time at the top of our division, we also endured a double-digit losing streak and the difficult departure of players we all love. As mentioned in my August 2 letter, we made some tough decisions that created near-term competitive challenges in return for longer-term competitive advantages. Our mid-season moves also paved the way for the emergence of new impactful players in addition to the infusion of promising prospects. 2021 was an emotional roller coaster, to say the least.

In the midst of all the change this year, David Ross did an amazing job keeping our players focused and ready to play. From our accomplished veterans to our remarkable rookies, our players didn’t let up in the second half of the season. From August 12 on, we were second in OPS in the NL (.780) and fourth in the NL in runs per game (4.91). We also enjoyed some solid play from many of our new Cubs, including Patrick Wisdom, who set our single-season rookie mark with 28 home runs, and Frank Schwindel, who led all major leaguers in hits and was second in batting average from the trade deadline (July 30) through the end of the season.

While we failed to extend our six-straight winning seasons streak and secure our spot in the postseason, we made important changes that put us in a position to succeed as we build the next great Cubs team. Beginning to replenish our much-improved farm system was just the start. Jed and the team are now focused on reloading our roster. We have the resources necessary to compete in 2022 and beyond, and we will use them. We will be active in free agency and continue to make thoughtful decisions to bolster our team this offseason.

While highs and lows are a part of our game and nothing novel for unwavering Cubs fans, I know 2021 was a lot to process. Further, while making good long-term decisions with our roster looks good on paper, it doesn’t soften the pain of losing or the emptiness of missing the postseason. With our attention now solely on the 2022 season, please know this: we respect your high expectations, we share your desire to win and we commit to fielding a competitive team reflective of your unrivaled support. We’re more than excited to enjoy both the journey and our ultimate destination of winning another World Series championship with you again soon.

Finally, in a year marked by the ongoing pandemic and significant on-field change, your remarkable support was certainly a silver lining. As always, thank you again for being the best fans in baseball.

Sincerely,

Tom Ricketts

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