The Mets just sent out this email about the first new hire in the new Sandy Alderson regime.
What do you guys think?
METS NAME J.P. RICCIARDI SPECIAL ASSISTANT
TO GENERAL MANAGER SANDY ALDERSON
FLUSHING, N.Y., November 2, 2010 – The New York Mets today announced that J.P. (John Paul) Ricciardi has been named Special Assistant to General Manager Sandy Alderson. From November 14, 2001 through 2009, he was the Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations and General Manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ricciardi spent last season as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
“J.P. brings a wealth of knowledge and a breadth of experience to the organization,” said Alderson. “I worked with him for over a decade in Oakland and I know first hand he’s a superb talent evaluator. He’ll be a tremendous resource in a variety of areas.”
In his new role, Ricciardi will assist Alderson in all aspects of the baseball department.
The 51-year-old worked for the Oakland Athletics for 16 years (1986-2001), including 12 years (1986-1997) when Alderson was the team’s General Manager.
“I couldn’t be more excited about being reunited with Sandy,” said Ricciardi. “We enjoyed tremendous success together in Oakland and it’s my goal to help duplicate that here with the Mets. As a former Met farm hand, it’s a double homecoming for me.”
Ricciardi played two seasons in the Mets minor league system after signing as a non-drafted free agent. In 1980, he was a teammate of current Oakland GM Billy Beane in the New York-Penn League with Little Falls and in 1981 he played for Shelby (A) of the South Atlantic League.
Obviously, the front office hires are important, but I don’t know enough about what a special assistant does to have an opinion.
Hire a manager & start making player moves – then I’ll have more of an interest.
I think that J.P. Ricciardi’s hiring bodes well for the development long-term of the franchise. From what I’ve read, he was brought in to overhaul the farm and recruiting system. I believe this backs up the philosophy Alderson has of promoting home-grown talent. Although it will be years before most people notice, his hiring is an extremely important one.
Another proven winner on the payroll certainly can’t hurt.