MLB Hires Both Gregor Blanco and Nick Hundley
Earlier this afternoon, Major League Baseball officially announced they had hired former players, Gregor Blanco and Nick Hundley. In the press release, MLB announced that Blanco and Hundley were hired as Senior Directors of Baseball Operations. The announcement was confirmed by an official tweet sent out by MLB Network Insider, Mark Feinsand on Twitter.
Chris Young takes over the on-field operations and umpiring departments, which had been overseen by Torre since 2011. Former players Nick Hundley and Gregor Blanco join MLB and will report to Young, serving as as MLB liaisons to Major League Clubs, players and umpires. https://t.co/BrjZuvgOOp
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 6, 2020
The reason Major League Baseball hired both is because Chris Young received a promotion. Young will now be the Senior Vice President for Major League Baseball’s Commissioners Office. As a result of that promotion, Joe Torre who was most recently Chief Baseball Officer became a Special Assistant to Commissioner, Rob Manfred.
While this news might not seem significant on the surface, it indicates that the league’s leadership is in transition. That could be a good thing considering the state of the game of baseball and some of the challenges the game might face moving forward.
Veteran Status
With the hiring of Gregor Blanco and Nick Hundley, Major League Baseball has brought in two individuals who have a wealth of playing experience under their belt. Both Blanco and Hundley have a combined twenty-two years of playing experience.
Blanco, who turned 36 this past December, was an outfielder for a number of teams. Blanco played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Kansas City Royals during his career. Over those 10 seasons, Blanco put up a cumulative slash line of .255/.328/.348 over 3,349 plate appearances. In that span, Blanco recorded 746 hits, 26 home runs, 235 RBI, 363 walks, 661 strikeouts, and an OPS+ of 91. Blanco was originally signed out of Venezuela.
Hundley, who turns 37 this coming September, was a catcher for a handful of different teams. During the 12 seasons that Hundley played at the big league level, he spent time with the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and Oakland Athletics. Through those 12 seasons, Hundley caught 892 games and combined for a 6.8 WAR.
Playing Experience Helps with This Role
For both Gregor Blanco and Nick Hundley, having a significant amount of playing experience will help them in their new roles. Both Blanco and Hundley are going to be heavily involved in the overall day-to-day operations of the game. As a result, having the opinions and ideas of two experienced players will be a tremendous asset.
Additionally, Major League Baseball is going to continue to explore ways to integrate and deregulate the use of technology. Therefore, the league is going to want to hear what Blanco and Hundley think about both of those things. Moving forward, technology will continue to play a significant role in the game. However, with the Houston Astros recent cheating scandal, there are some that now question the role technology should play.
As a result of that controversy, it is likely going to be a clear area of focus for Major League Baseball moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Now that Gregor Blanco and Nick Hundley have been named as Senior Directors of Baseball Operations, their playing careers are over. It might be bitter for some fans of both players, but this is good news. Both Blanco and Hundley should only help to improve the future outlook of the game. Furthermore, Blanco and Hundley will play a critical role in helping the league to continue to grow. If Major League Baseball wants to continue being successful, then the league will need all the knowledge it can get.
