Tagged: Jack Zduriencik
Mariners Relieve Jack Zduriencik of G.M. Duties
Seattle Mariners President and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Mather announced this morning that EVP of Baseball Operations & General Manager Jack Zduriencik has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately.
Jeff Kingston, who has been the Mariners Assistant General Manager since 2009, will handle the GM responsibilities for the remainder of the 2015 regular season.
Mather said, “We have reached the point when change of leadership of our baseball operations is needed for the Seattle Mariners to reach our goal of winning championships. We are very disappointed with the results this season, and are not satisfied with the current operation. The search for a permanent general manager will begin immediately, and while there is no deadline, we expect to have a new GM in place as soon as practical.”
Mather added, “We have great respect for Jack and his work ethic. He was an excellent representative of the Mariners both within the game of baseball and in the community. On behalf of the entire organization, I wish him and (his wife) Debbie all the best, and thank him for all his efforts.”
Mariners Chief Executive Officer Howard Lincoln said, “On behalf of our ownership group, I want to thank Jack for his loyalty and hard work over the years, and for the quiet dignity with which he has carried himself. During his tenure, Jack was dedicated to building a winning team, and at the same time, has embodied the Mariners commitment to the community by supporting many charities and causes, and making a difference in our community. We wish Jack and his lovely wife Debbie all the best.”
Zduriencik was in his seventh season as head of the Mariners baseball operations after being named to the position on October 22, 2008. Prior to joining the Mariners, the 32-year veteran of Major League Baseball spent nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, including the final year there as Vice President, Special Assistant to the General Manager for Player Personnel.
Kingston joined the Mariners in 2009 after spending nine years working with the San Diego Padres, serving the final seven seasons as Director of Baseball Operations.
Happy Birthday Jack & Lloyd
A special Happy Birthday wish to our GM Jack Zduriencik and manager Lloyd McClendon. Looking forward to a great upcoming season in 2015!
Mariners Management Structure Defined
Yesterday the Mariners announced that Kevin Mather would succeed the retiring Chuck Armstrong on February 1 as President and Chief Operating Officer of the organization, and that Bob Aylward would take over Chuck’s role as Chairman of the Board of ROOT Sports Northwest. Bob will remain in his position as Executive Vice President of Business Operations. Here is the full news release on the announcement.
Jack Zduriencik, the club’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations, remains responsible for baseball operations and makes the baseball decisions, as he has been since joining the Mariners in November 2009. Jack has reported to Armstrong and now will report directly to Kevin, who in turn reports directly to Mariners Chief Executive Officer Howard Lincoln.
Just to provide some perspective, this management structure is the same one used by a super majority of the 29 other Major League Baseball franchises.
In this structure, the president’s job is to oversee all aspects of the organization, and report directly to the chief operating officer/ownership. In basic terms, most teams are organized with a “baseball side” and a “business side.” In the case of the Mariners, great effort is made to make sure that both “sides” form a closely knit unit. But clearly the focus of baseball operations is to draft, trade and sign the players who will be on the field at the Major League and Minor League levels, manage and coach them, develop them, and train them to become successful in Seattle. Jack is in charge of this huge department, which includes over 100 full-time employees and during spring training over 200 players (including the minor leagues).
The “business side” of baseball teams includes handles sales, marketing, ballpark operations, ticketing, corporate business, communications, broadcasting, accounting, retail, information technology, community relations, etc. Aylward remains responsible for most of these functions.
The two “sides” work hand-in-hand and support each other. Success on the field drives success off the field. Success of the field provides the resources for sustained success on the field, which means winning baseball and championships.
Winter Meetings About To Kick Off
The Baseball Winter Meetings are being held in Orlando, FL.
The annual Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are about to kick off at the Swan & Dolphin Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. A large Mariners contingent from the baseball operations and player development staff will be in Orlando (along with your blog contributors from the media relations crew).
What exactly are the Winter Meetings you ask?
The Baseball Winter Meetings is the annual gathering of members of The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, including Major League Baseball, and their affiliated parties. Baseball front office personnel, trade show exhibitors and job seekers will fill the property during these four days in December making it the largest gathering of baseball executives in the world. The meetings consist of seminars, league and organizational meetings, the Baseball Trade Show and special events, such as the annual Awards Luncheon, Banquet, Gala and the PBEO Job Fair.
You’ll hear a lot about the Winter Meetings on the MLB Network, ESPN, MLB Network Radio and across various forms of social media. For twitter followers, be sure to follow the hashtag #WinterMeetings and the @WinterMeetings account.
On the blog, we’ll try to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what is going on, what interviews are taking place with manager Lloyd McClendon and GM Jack Zduriencik, and hopefully some fun photos of recognizable baseball names.
Be sure to follow on Twitter (@Mariners), Facebook and Instagram (@SeattleMariners).
Jack Zduriencik Keynote Speaker at American Legion Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik was the keynote speaker at the 2013 American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik was the keynote speaker at the 2013 American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday night in Seattle.
The Washington State American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame is made up of former American Legion ball players, coaches, managers, umpires and volunteers.
This year’s inductees included Mariners head groundskeeper Bob Christofferson, former Mariners players Mike Campbell (1987-89), Russ Swan (1990-93) and Jeremy Bonderman (2013).
Other former American Legion ballplayers inducted were former big leaguers Todd Stottlemyre, Kevin Stocker, Todd Hollandsworth, Travis Buck and former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien.
Other former AL coaches/managers/umpires/volunteers inducted were Bob Garretson, Lem Elway, C.J. Mitchell and Todd McDougall.
What Felix Means to the Mariners
This pretty much sums up how we feel about King Felix!
Hot Stove League Show Revisited
Just in case you missed the first Hot Stove League Radio Show of the off-season, here are audio links to interviews with GM Jack Zduriencik, manager Eric Wedge and Jason Bay.
Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune also has a recap of the radio show in his blog.
Mariners Hot Stove League Show Debuts Tonight
The Mariners Hot Stove League Radio Show debuts tonight from 7-9 p.m. on ESPN 710 Seattle. The radio show will be broadcast live out of the Alderwood Mall Team Store, with Rick Rizzs, Shannon Drayer and Matt Pitman hosting. TV announcer Mike Blowers is also scheduled to make an appearance, and guests include General Manager Jack Zduriencik, Manager Eric Wedge and an interview with the newest Mariner, Jason Bay.
You can listen to the show online at Mariners.com/hotstove.
Winter Meetings Recap & Hot Stove League Show
Mariners Manager Eric Wedge during his media day in Nashville.
The Winter Meetings concluded last Thursday in Nashville, but the Hot Stove League is still full steam ahead as the Holidays approach. And speaking of the Hot Stove League, the Mariners first Hot Stove League Radio Show will debut tomorrow from 7-9 p.m. You can listen live on 710 ESPN Seattle with Rick Rizzs, Shannon Drayer and Matt Pitman hosting the two-hour show from the Alderwood Mall Mariners Team Store. You can also visit the store and get pictures with Santa Moose. We will pass along a list of scheduled guests on the show later today.
As far as the Winter Meetings go, here are two interviews with manager Eric Wedge and GM Jack Zduriencik that gives good look at the upcoming 2013 season. Enjoy!
And here is the full transcript from Wedge’s annual media availability at the Winter Meetings:
Winter Meetings Update
The Opryland Hotel was bustling with activity this morning as the 2012 Winter Meetings officially kicked off in Nashville. Since we are two hours ahead here in The Music City, you may not have been able to watch Jack Zduriencik on the MLB Network this morning. Here is the video of Jack’s interview with Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds:
Jack also stopped to talk with several reporters between interviews, and capped his morning media session by joining Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquett on MLB Network Radio on XM/Sirius. Here is a 3-minute segment of that interview:
From the Corner of Edgar & Dave 