Paul DePodesta
Paul DePodesta
Paul DePodestais the chief strategy officer for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. Formerly a front office assistant for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics and most recently the New York Mets, he was also general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The year after leading the Dodgers to their first playoff win in 16 years, he was fired after the 2005 club finished with its worst record in 11 years. He was the ninth general manager in the...
strict time
I don't think we know that yet. We're not under any kind of strict time constraint.
bit confident count past prepared quite round talked
This was something that I don't think we could count on, but we were prepared for it. We talked quite a bit about it (Tuesday) as the first round was unfolding, and once it got past about the 20th pick, we were pretty confident that he was going to be there for us.
contract deal gave second
We gave him a two-year deal for a reason, ... At this point, he's still under contract to us for a second year.
anyone environment high maintain players team
The one thing they've done better than anyone else is find a way to incorporate young players into their team and yet do it in an environment in which they maintain very high expectations,
felt strongly time
We felt strongly it was time for a change.
braves commit continue expect kids spots though
Even though they still expect to win, they will entrust spots in the lineup, or a spot in the rotation, to a young player. The Braves continue to commit to their young kids and commit to the right ones.
both deal dealt head jim wonder
Both of us wanted to deal with this quickly. Jim didn't want to wonder about his status. We both dealt with it head on.
break despite exciting fact few great guys position starting success throughout time tremendous
We've had tremendous success throughout the organization from a player-development standpoint, ... One of the things that made this organization great was to have our own players. Despite the fact we're in the position we're in, this is an exciting time for us because right now we're just starting to see a few of those guys break through the surface.
although conflict consistent creative critical direction dynamic elements goal move spent time together vision
We've spent a lot of time together lately, ... The goal was to become very comfortable with the direction we are going. Although creative conflict is healthy, it is critical to our vision for the GM/manger dynamic to have enough consistent elements to move forward.
fact matter
The fact of the matter is, it was coming,
agent changes foundation free guy
We'll always have to make changes -- a guy or two will be a free agent -- but, hopefully, the foundation is now laid.
baseball became clear
It became clear to us that the inefficiency in decision-making in baseball was vast.
april certainly club consistency defense doubt early effort elements game guy handful hit home nights outfield potential runs seen speed spot throughout valuable year
He's had nights like tonight, and early in the year he hit a handful of home runs in April and May. So there's no doubt the potential is there, because we've seen it. As with all young players, it's going to be about the consistency of his offense. But it was his effort level, and the above-average defense really solidified his spot on the club throughout the year. He's got elements of his game that you can't teach, like speed and outfield range, so that's certainly going to make him a valuable guy for us going forward.
preferable
We're probably going to have to play it by ear. That's not necessarily the preferable way to go. But it's not something where we have a choice.