Neal Huntington
Encyclopedia
Neal Alden Huntington is the 12th person to serve as General Manager
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League Baseball
organization. He was named to the position on September 25, 2007 by new Pirates President Frank Coonelly
.
, Huntington is a graduate of Milford Area Senior High and Amherst College
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree with a major in psychology
in 1991. At Amherst, Huntington played baseball for four years; he was named a Division III second-team All-American first baseman and first-team All New England first baseman after his senior season. He earned a Master's Degree
in sport management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
in 1995. He later moved to the Cleveland Indians
, by whom he was employed for 10 seasons, serving first as the Assistant Director of Minor League
Operations before becoming Director of Player Development (in 1998), Assistant General Manager (2002–2004), and finally Special Assistant to the General Manager (2006–2007).
On November 2, 2007, Huntington made clear that he was going to utilize some sabermetric techniques of player evaluation:
A few days later, on November 5, he named John Russell as the new field manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On November 7 he announced Greg Smith as the new scouting director, Kyle Stark as director of player development, and Bryan Minniti as director of baseball operations.
The new management team did not move quickly to make personnel changes at the player level, however. One month before the opening of Spring training in 2008, all but seven of the players on their 40 man roster had been in the Pirates organization in 2007. Three major factors appear to have led to this situation. First, Huntington felt that so many players had not performed up to their potential in 2007 that the Pirates were likely to win more games in 2008 if the same players only improved on their 2007 performances. Second, the marketability of many of these players had been hampered in the off-season because of their 2007 performance, and Huntington did not want to trade players at a price that was lower than what he considered their true value. Third, although Huntington did seek an immediate improvement of the team's competitiveness, he did not want to give up players who could contribute to the team's performance over the next three or four years simply to achieve a one-year increase in wins.
and Damaso Marte
to the New York Yankees
in exchange for minor leaguers Jose Tabata
, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf
, and Dan McCutchen. In the second deal, Huntington shipped Jason Bay
to the Boston Red Sox
in exchange for Brandon Moss
, Andy LaRoche
, Craig Hansen
, and minor leaguer Bryan Morris
.
to the Atlanta Braves
on June 3 for outfielder Gorkys Hernández
, and pitchers Jeff Locke
and Charlie Morton
. Another big trade came on June 30, when Huntington acquired enigmatic, yet talented outfielder Lastings Milledge
and pitcher Joel Hanrahan
from the Washington Nationals
in exchange for outfielder Nyjer Morgan
and pitcher Sean Burnett
. Huntington made yet another move on July 22 by trading starting first baseman Adam LaRoche
to the Red Sox for minor leaguers Argenis Diaz
and Hunter Strickland. On July 29, Huntington swung a seven player deal with the Seattle Mariners
that sent shortstop Jack Wilson, the Pirates' most tenured player, and pitcher Ian Snell
to the Mariners for first baseman Jeff Clement
, shortstop Ronny Cedeno
and three minor league pitching prospects. Later that day, Huntington sent all-star second baseman Freddy Sanchez
to the San Francisco Giants
for highly regarded pitching prospect Tim Alderson
. After the season ended, Huntington acquired second baseman Akinori Iwamura
from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for pitcher Jesse Chavez
.
, the club's top prospect and Huntington's 2008 first round draft pick, make his MLB debut, along with the emergence of other young talents, including José Tábata
, Neil Walker
, and Evan Meek
. On July 31, Huntington continued to reshape the Pirates roster by acquiring catcher Chris Snyder
and shortstop prospect Pedro Ciriaco
from the Diamondbacks in exchange for back-up veterans Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby
, and reliever D. J. Carrasco
. Even more young players were added to the Pirates system, also on July 31, when Huntington shipped veteran reliever Javier López
to the Giants for outfielder John Bowker
and pitcher Joe Martinez
, and closer Octavio Dotel
to Dodgers for pitcher James McDonald
and outfielder Andrew Lambo. Following the 105-loss season, Huntington hired Clint Hurdle
as the new field manager of the Pirates.
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
organization. He was named to the position on September 25, 2007 by new Pirates President Frank Coonelly
Frank Coonelly
Frank Coonelly is the president of the Pittsburgh Pirates. His hiring was announced by the Pirates on September 13, 2007. He replaced Kevin McClatchy who purchased the Pirates with a group of investors in 1996 and served as the CEO for the next 12 seasons...
.
Background
A native of Amherst, New HampshireAmherst, New Hampshire
Amherst is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,201 at the 2010 census. Amherst is home to Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary, Hodgman State Forest, the Joe English Reservation and Baboosic Lake....
, Huntington is a graduate of Milford Area Senior High and Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree with a major in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
in 1991. At Amherst, Huntington played baseball for four years; he was named a Division III second-team All-American first baseman and first-team All New England first baseman after his senior season. He earned a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in sport management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Montreal and Cleveland
Huntington spent 16 seasons in professional baseball prior to joining the Pirates. He became Assistant Director of Player Development with the Montreal ExposMontreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
in 1995. He later moved to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, by whom he was employed for 10 seasons, serving first as the Assistant Director of Minor League
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
Operations before becoming Director of Player Development (in 1998), Assistant General Manager (2002–2004), and finally Special Assistant to the General Manager (2006–2007).
2007
Within two weeks of assuming the Pirates GM position, Huntington made several decisive moves on October 5, 2007: field manager Jim Tracy was fired; the remaining coaching staff was given notice that their contracts would likely not be renewed; and the Senior Director of Player Development, the scouting director, and the Director of Baseball Operations were also let go. These moves cleared the decks to introduce a wholly fresh approach to scouting, player development, and field management in the Pirates organization.On November 2, 2007, Huntington made clear that he was going to utilize some sabermetric techniques of player evaluation:
We are going to utilize several objective measures of player performance to evaluate and develop players. We'll rely on the more traditional objective evaluations: OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage), WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), Runs Created, ERC (Component ERA), GB/FB (ground ball to fly ball ratio), K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings), K/BB (strikeouts to walks ratio), BB%, etc., but we'll also look to rely on some of the more recent variations: VORP (value over replacement playerValue over replacement playerIn baseball, value over replacement player is a statistic popularized by Keith Woolner that demonstrates how much a hitter contributes offensively or how much a pitcher contributes to his team in comparison to a fictitious "replacement player," who is an average fielder at his position and a below...
), Relative Performance, EqAve (equivalent average), EqOBP (equivalent on base percentage), EqSLG (equivalent slugging percentage), BIP% (balls put into play percentageBatting average on balls in playIn baseball statistics, Batting average on balls in play is a statistic measuring the percentage of plate appearances ending with a batted ball in play for which the batter is credited with a hit...
), wOBAWOBAIn baseball, wOBA is a statistic, based on linear weights, designed to measure a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. It is formed from taking the observed run values of various offensive events, dividing by a player's plate appearances, and scaling the result to be on...
(weighted on base average), Range Factor, PMR (probabilistic model of range) and Zone Rating.
That said, we will continue to stress the importance of our subjective evaluations. Succinctly stated, we believe that a combination of quality objective and subjective analysis will allow us to maximize our probability of success and to make the best possible decisions.
A few days later, on November 5, he named John Russell as the new field manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On November 7 he announced Greg Smith as the new scouting director, Kyle Stark as director of player development, and Bryan Minniti as director of baseball operations.
The new management team did not move quickly to make personnel changes at the player level, however. One month before the opening of Spring training in 2008, all but seven of the players on their 40 man roster had been in the Pirates organization in 2007. Three major factors appear to have led to this situation. First, Huntington felt that so many players had not performed up to their potential in 2007 that the Pirates were likely to win more games in 2008 if the same players only improved on their 2007 performances. Second, the marketability of many of these players had been hampered in the off-season because of their 2007 performance, and Huntington did not want to trade players at a price that was lower than what he considered their true value. Third, although Huntington did seek an immediate improvement of the team's competitiveness, he did not want to give up players who could contribute to the team's performance over the next three or four years simply to achieve a one-year increase in wins.
2008
During his first season, Huntington made two major trades leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. The first deal sent Xavier NadyXavier Nady
Xavier Clifford Nady VI is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman, who is a free agent.-Amateur career:The St. Louis Cardinals originally drafted Nady in the 4th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft after he was named Northern California Player of the Year in his senior...
and Damaso Marte
Dámaso Marté
Dámaso Marté Sabinon is a Dominican Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Seattle Mariners , Pittsburgh Pirates , and Chicago White Sox .-Seattle Mariners:...
to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in exchange for minor leaguers Jose Tabata
Jose Tabata
José Nicolas Tábata is a professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an international signee of the New York Yankees and, by 2008, became the Yankees' No. 2 prospect...
, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf
Ross Ohlendorf
Curtis Ross Ohlendorf is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is known for his hard-biting sinker. He can hit 97 mph with a two-seam sinking fastball, and he's working to improve his developing changeup, slider, and breaking ball.-High School and College...
, and Dan McCutchen. In the second deal, Huntington shipped Jason Bay
Jason Bay
Jason Raymond Bay is a Canadian professional baseball player. An outfielder, he currently plays for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball...
to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in exchange for Brandon Moss
Brandon Moss
Brandon Douglas Moss is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.-Professional career:...
, Andy LaRoche
Andy LaRoche
Andrew Christian LaRoche is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent....
, Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
Craig Robert Hansen is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. A closer out of St. John's University, Hansen was drafted in and quickly made his major league debut, but has since spent most of his career at the Triple-A level...
, and minor leaguer Bryan Morris
Bryan Morris
Avery Bryan Morris is a baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He is currently the starting pitcher for the Altoona Curve, the Pirates Double A affiliate in the Eastern League.-Professional career:...
.
2009
Huntington continued the rebuilding during the 2009 season by trading all-star center fielder Nate McLouthNate McLouth
Nathan Richard McLouth is a Major League Baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, McLouth bats from the left side and throws from the right. He is 5' 11" tall and weighs 185 pounds...
to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
on June 3 for outfielder Gorkys Hernández
Gorkys Hernández
Gorkys Gustavo Hernández is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization currently assigned to their triple A Indianapolis Indians of the International League....
, and pitchers Jeff Locke
Jeff Locke
Jeffrey Alan Locke is a major league left-handed starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 6'2", 180 lb. Locke was the first selection in the second round in the 2006 Atlanta Braves Draft.-Early life:...
and Charlie Morton
Charlie Morton (pitcher)
Charles A. Morton is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He stands at 6'5" and weighs in at about 230 lbs. He is a right-hander.-Professional career:...
. Another big trade came on June 30, when Huntington acquired enigmatic, yet talented outfielder Lastings Milledge
Lastings Milledge
Lastings Darnell Milledge is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He was the youngest player in the National League during the 2006 season.-Early life:Milledge was born in Bradenton, Florida...
and pitcher Joel Hanrahan
Joel Hanrahan
Joel Ryan Hanrahan , nicknamed The Hammer, is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Los Angeles Dodgers:...
from the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
in exchange for outfielder Nyjer Morgan
Nyjer Morgan
Nyjer Jamid Morgan nicknamed Tony Plush is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers....
and pitcher Sean Burnett
Sean Burnett
Sean Richard Burnett is a relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round in 2000 after leading Wellington High School to a 6A State Title in his senior year.Known for his change-up, remarkable control, presence,...
. Huntington made yet another move on July 22 by trading starting first baseman Adam LaRoche
Adam LaRoche
David Adam LaRoche , is a Major League Baseball first baseman. In 2011, the Washington Nationals signed him to a two-year deal...
to the Red Sox for minor leaguers Argenis Diaz
Argenis Diaz
Argenis Díaz is a Major League Baseball shortstop in the Detroit Tigers organization.-Career:Díaz was acquired by the Boston Red Sox organization in July 2003 as an international free agent...
and Hunter Strickland. On July 29, Huntington swung a seven player deal with the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
that sent shortstop Jack Wilson, the Pirates' most tenured player, and pitcher Ian Snell
Ian Snell
Ian Dante Snell is an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. From -, he went by the name Ian Oquendo, adopting the last name of his wife, and during the 2009 World Baseball Classic he went by Ian Davila-Snell, adopting his stepfather's surname...
to the Mariners for first baseman Jeff Clement
Jeff Clement
Jeffrey Burton Clement is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization. Clement was the Seattle Mariners' first round draft pick in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.-Amateur career:Clement was born and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa...
, shortstop Ronny Cedeno
Ronny Cedeño
Ronny Alexander Cedeño is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball shortstop. He bats and throws right-handed and was born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela...
and three minor league pitching prospects. Later that day, Huntington sent all-star second baseman Freddy Sanchez
Freddy Sanchez
Frederick Phillip "Freddy" Sanchez, Jr. is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez has previously played for the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants...
to the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
for highly regarded pitching prospect Tim Alderson
Tim Alderson
Timothy Alderson is a pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.-Baseball career:Alderson was drafted by the San Francisco Giants 22nd overall in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft...
. After the season ended, Huntington acquired second baseman Akinori Iwamura
Akinori Iwamura
Akinori Iwamura is a Japanese Major League Baseball infielder, who is currently with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League...
from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for pitcher Jesse Chavez
Jesse Chavez
Jesse David Chavez is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
.
2010
The 2010 season saw Pedro AlvarezPedro Alvarez (baseball)
Pedro Manuel Alvarez Jr. is a Dominican-American professional baseball third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball....
, the club's top prospect and Huntington's 2008 first round draft pick, make his MLB debut, along with the emergence of other young talents, including José Tábata
Jose Tabata
José Nicolas Tábata is a professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an international signee of the New York Yankees and, by 2008, became the Yankees' No. 2 prospect...
, Neil Walker
Neil Walker (baseball)
Neil Martin Walker is an American professional baseball second and third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball...
, and Evan Meek
Evan Meek
Evan David Meek is a right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was named to the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. His nicknames include Super Meek and Evan Almighty-Early career:Meek attended Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Washington...
. On July 31, Huntington continued to reshape the Pirates roster by acquiring catcher Chris Snyder
Chris Snyder
Christopher Cornelius Snyder is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is a Free Agent. He has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He bats and throws right-handed.-High school and college:...
and shortstop prospect Pedro Ciriaco
Pedro Ciriaco
Pedro Ciriaco is a right-handed baseball shortstop. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates...
from the Diamondbacks in exchange for back-up veterans Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby
Bobby Crosby
Robert Edward Crosby is an infielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. The son of former major league infielder Ed Crosby, he bats and throws right-handed...
, and reliever D. J. Carrasco
D. J. Carrasco
Daniel J. "D. J." Carrasco is a Major League Baseball pitcher currently with the New York Mets.-Career:...
. Even more young players were added to the Pirates system, also on July 31, when Huntington shipped veteran reliever Javier López
Javier López
Javier Alfonso López is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants. López previously played for the Colorado Rockies , Arizona Diamondbacks , Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates . He is a left-handed specialist known for his sidearm delivery...
to the Giants for outfielder John Bowker
John Bowker
John Westerdale Bowker is a professor of religious studies who has taught at the universities of Cambridge, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and North Carolina State University...
and pitcher Joe Martinez
Joe Martinez (baseball)
Joseph A. Martinez is a Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school and college:Born in South Orange, New Jersey, Martinez attended Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange. He went to Boston College where he went 0–0 with a 0.00 ERA in seven games in 2002...
, and closer Octavio Dotel
Octavio Dotel
Octavio Eduardo Dotel is a Domincan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent....
to Dodgers for pitcher James McDonald
James McDonald (baseball)
James Zell McDonald is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Los Angeles Dodgers:...
and outfielder Andrew Lambo. Following the 105-loss season, Huntington hired Clint Hurdle
Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle is a former Major League Baseball outfielder whose 10-year career was spent with the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals. After retiring from playing baseball, Hurdle became a manager...
as the new field manager of the Pirates.