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I closed the door to my office and started making some calls. Who should I hire as my assistant GM? My first thought was to hire one of my old analyst friends, however they all expressed disinterest in a higher position due to the short leash that Mr. Shelby has on his GM’’s and their assistants. I then turned to the open market. The smart choice would be to go with someone who is experienced in the game and has a deep knowledge of the business. However, I felt the need to “pay it back” to someone inexperienced like myself. One of the first names that popped up was Lorenzo Islas, a 46-year-old former reliever who played from 1997-1999 but never made it past A ball. He has an outstanding view on minor league and amateur talent,and an excellent view on major league and international talent. We hit it off on the first call, and I offered him a 5 year contract, to which he said he would think about.
My next action of business was to fill out our major league staff. One of our goals was to acquire a power hitter, but I’d also like to improve upon the power of our current players. John Kropidlowski is the current hitting coach for the New York Monarchs AAA team. They finished with the most runs scored and tied for the second most home runs in their league. He’s also excellent at handling development, outstanding at influencing mechanics, good at handling aging, and legendary at teaching hitting. I offered him a 3-year contract.
I again ventured into the minor leagues for our pitching coach. Jordan Polk has been one of the best pitching coaches for the Pittsburgh Commanders A team, being outstanding in handling development, excellent in influencing mechanics, excellent at handling aging and outstanding at teaching pitching. I offered him a 4-year contract.
Last was our first base coach. Franklin Morales has consistently been successful as the New Orleans Slammers AA manager, winning manager of the year in 2020 and 2023. He has good relationships with most of our key players, and is excellent at handling development, outstanding at influencing mechanics, and excellent at handling aging. I offered him a 4-year contract.
I filled the rest of our vacancies in the minors as follows:
AAA HC: Bob Gilbert, good development, excellent mechanics, legendary aging (aging rating doesn’t matter too much at this level)
Short A Manager: Jason Vine, good development, outstanding mechanics
Short A PC: George Salter, good development, outstanding mechanics
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