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Jack Zduriencik

John A. “Jack” Zduriencik (/zɜːrˈɛnsɪk/; born January 11, 1951) is an American radio broadcaster and former professional baseball executive, scout, and player. He currently works as a radio host for KDKA-FM, which is affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also served as the general manager of the Seattle Mariners from 2008 until 2015.

Jack Zduriencik
Zduriencik in 2011
Born (1951-01-11) January 11, 1951 (age 73)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCalifornia University of Pennsylvania

Career edit

Zduriencik began his career in professional baseball as a second baseman in the Chicago White Sox farm system. From 1973 to 1974, he spent time playing for both the Gulf Coast White Sox and the Appleton Foxes.[citation needed]

Following his playing career, Zduriencik spent several years as a coach for both baseball and football. His coaching tour included stops at Austin Peay State University (1975–77), Clairton High School (PA, 1977–80), and Tarpon Springs High School (FL, 1980–82).[1]

Zduriencik returned to professional baseball in 1983. Successive roles involving scouting and player development comprised most of the next two-plus decades of his experience, as he spent time in the positions of:

Zduriencik was so successful in Milwaukee that many observers felt that he deserved a large part of the credit for the Brewers' eventual return to playoff contention in 2008. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin praised Zduriencik's efforts: "No doubt about it, he deserves almost all the credit for the young players we have. The players he has drafted are making an impact at the big league level."[2]

In recognition of his success with the Brewers, Baseball America made Zduriencik the first non-GM to receive their Major League Executive of the Year Award in 2007.[2]

Seattle Mariners edit

In October 2008, following a dismal season and the firing of GM Bill Bavasi, the Seattle Mariners announced the hiring of Zduriencik as the franchise's new general manager. At the time, the team was the first to have lost 100 games while shouldering a player payroll of more than $100 million, and it was reported by critics at the time to be a good hire.[3]

At an October 2008 press conference following his hiring, Zduriencik got right to the point in introducing his philosophy going forward in Seattle: “I'd love to have guys with good makeup and good character, committed to the city and the ballclub. But, when all is said and done, talent wins.”[4]

One of Zduriencik's first moves was hiring Don Wakamatsu, the first Asian-American manager in MLB history. Next, during the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, Nevada, Zduriencik made a remarkable three-team, 12-player trade that sent star closer J. J. Putz to the New York Mets as well as prospect second baseman Luis Valbuena to the Cleveland Indians. In return, the Mariners received outfielders Franklin Gutiérrez and Endy Chávez and first baseman Mike Carp, a prospect in the Mets' organization, as well as starting pitcher prospect Jason Vargas.[5] During the beginning of spring training, Zduriencik signed Mariners fan favorite Ken Griffey Jr. to a one-year deal.[6]

After an 85-77 finish in 2009, Zduriencik's teams slumped to 61–101 in 2010, 67–95 in 2011, 75–87 in 2012, and 71–91 in 2013.

On December 7, 2013, Seattle Times columnist Geoff Baker wrote a scathing article about Zduriencik, quoting past employees to show that he is difficult to work with. He was accused of lying about knowledge of Josh Lueke's criminal past before a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. He is also accused of lying on his original job application that he has an advanced knowledge of and fondness for contemporary baseball Sabermetrics of the Billy Beane mold, knowing that it would be beneficial in getting him hired. An employee whom Zduriencik fired, Tony Blengino, made the claim that he, not Zduriencik, falsified Jack's resume, according to Baker's article in the Seattle Times: "Blengino, who was working for the Milwaukee Brewers with Zduriencik at the time, said he authored virtually the entire job application package Zduriencik gave the Mariners in 2008, depicting a dual-threat candidate melding traditional scouting with advanced statistical analysis."[7]

Asked to respond to accusations by former manager Eric Wedge and Blengino, Zduriencik said: “I am aware of some of the comments of former members of our baseball operations group, and I find them unjust, misleading and one-sided. I don’t believe the airing of ‘dirty laundry’ should take place in the public arena, so I am not going to talk about internal meetings, daily conversations and personnel decisions.”[7]

Zduriencik subsequently issued a public statement in response to the accusations in Baker's column. The statement read in part: "I can also say that our current statistical analysis group is doing excellent work. Our dedicated staff and the tools they are using are a key component in our decision making process, and are light years ahead of where we have been. I am engaged with their work on a daily basis and very excited in the improvements made... We have never deviated from our rebuilding plan. We have stayed the course, and we now have a talented group of young players. We are hard at work looking into every option to add to this core group, as we said we would, and we are looking forward to 2014 and beyond."[8]

Zduriencik's assertion that advanced metrics have always been part of his office's player evaluation process seems to have been borne out by his 2009 hire of Jeff Kingston to be his assistant general manager. Kingston's grounding in advanced metrics was noted in a 2009 article in the Dickinson Magazine published by his alma mater: "Much of Kingston’s research involves Sabermetrics, a scientific statistical analysis of players and teams designed to project future performance."[9] In addition, the Mariners' Baseball Operations Analyst, Wesley Battle, and Quantitative Analyst, Jesse Smith, brought a sabermetric perspective to their work with the club's front office. In 2014, the Mariners enjoyed an 87-win season, an improvement of 16 wins over the previous year's total, and missed the playoffs by a single game.

On August 26, 2014, the Mariners extended Zduriencik's contract to a multi-year deal, based on the positive performance of the team in the 2014 season. Club President Kevin Mather expressed confidence that the Mariners were "in position to be a contender for many years to come" and thought Zduriencik was making a "valiant effort".[10]

The Mariners fired Zduriencik on August 28, 2015. During his tenure in Seattle, the Mariners posted a 505–595 record, which was the fifth-worst record in baseball.[11]

Education edit

Zduriencik earned a bachelor's degree in education at California University of Pennsylvania, followed by a master's degree in physical education at Austin Peay State University.[1]

Personal edit

Self nicknamed "Trader Jack", Jack is married to Debbie Zduriencik. They have one daughter, Kimberly.[1] He is also an alumnus of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.

Zduriencik currently works as the pre- and post-game co-host for the Pittsburgh Pirates on their flagship station KDKA-FM.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Street, Jim (2008-10-22). "Mariners tab Zduriencik as new GM". Seattle Mariners. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  2. ^ a b Haudricourt, Tom (2007-12-03). "Zduriencik Named Top Executive". Baseball America. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  3. ^ Hissey, Tyler (2008-06-16). "Firing Bavasi Right Move". Scout.com. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  4. ^ Stone, Larry (2008-10-25). ""No-nonsense" Jack Zduriencik faces many decisions as he takes over as Mariners GM". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  5. ^ . Seattle Mariners. December 11, 2008. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  6. ^ Crasnick, Jerry (2009-02-19). "Griffey chooses Mariners". ESPN. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  7. ^ a b Baker, Geoff (2013-12-07). "Dysfunction at the top: Eric Wedge, others point to trouble in Mariners' front office". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  8. ^ Divish, Ryan (2013-12-09). . The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  9. ^ "Batter Up: Jeff Kingston '99 scores as a major-league baseball executive." | http://www2.dickinson.edu/magazine/article.cfm?article=330
  10. ^ Drayer, Shannon (2014-08-26). "Jack Zduriencik's extension from the Mariners is a sign of the times". Sports.MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  11. ^ "Mariners fire GM Jack Zduriencik". ESPN. 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2021-02-05.

External links edit

  • Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Preceded by Seattle Mariners General Manager
2009–2015
Succeeded by
Jeff Kingston (interim)

jack, zduriencik, john, jack, zduriencik, ɜːr, born, january, 1951, american, radio, broadcaster, former, professional, baseball, executive, scout, player, currently, works, radio, host, kdka, which, affiliated, with, pittsburgh, pirates, also, served, general. John A Jack Zduriencik z ɜːr ˈ ɛ n s ɪ k born January 11 1951 is an American radio broadcaster and former professional baseball executive scout and player He currently works as a radio host for KDKA FM which is affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates He also served as the general manager of the Seattle Mariners from 2008 until 2015 Jack ZduriencikZduriencik in 2011Born 1951 01 11 January 11 1951 age 73 New Castle Pennsylvania U S NationalityAmericanAlma materCalifornia University of Pennsylvania Contents 1 Career 2 Seattle Mariners 3 Education 4 Personal 5 References 6 External linksCareer editZduriencik began his career in professional baseball as a second baseman in the Chicago White Sox farm system From 1973 to 1974 he spent time playing for both the Gulf Coast White Sox and the Appleton Foxes citation needed Following his playing career Zduriencik spent several years as a coach for both baseball and football His coaching tour included stops at Austin Peay State University 1975 77 Clairton High School PA 1977 80 and Tarpon Springs High School FL 1980 82 1 Zduriencik returned to professional baseball in 1983 Successive roles involving scouting and player development comprised most of the next two plus decades of his experience as he spent time in the positions of Area scout 1983 1989 New York Mets National crosschecker 1990 and 1994 1995 New York Mets Director of scouting 1991 1993 Pittsburgh Pirates Director of minor league operations 1995 1998 New York Mets Special assistant to the general manager 1998 New York Mets Director of international operations 1998 1999 Los Angeles Dodgers Director of scouting 1999 2006 Milwaukee Brewers Special assistant to the general manager 2006 2008 Milwaukee Brewers Director of amateur scouting 2006 2008 Milwaukee Brewers Special assistant to the GM for player personnel 2008 Milwaukee Brewers 1 Zduriencik was so successful in Milwaukee that many observers felt that he deserved a large part of the credit for the Brewers eventual return to playoff contention in 2008 Brewers general manager Doug Melvin praised Zduriencik s efforts No doubt about it he deserves almost all the credit for the young players we have The players he has drafted are making an impact at the big league level 2 In recognition of his success with the Brewers Baseball America made Zduriencik the first non GM to receive their Major League Executive of the Year Award in 2007 2 Seattle Mariners editIn October 2008 following a dismal season and the firing of GM Bill Bavasi the Seattle Mariners announced the hiring of Zduriencik as the franchise s new general manager At the time the team was the first to have lost 100 games while shouldering a player payroll of more than 100 million and it was reported by critics at the time to be a good hire 3 At an October 2008 press conference following his hiring Zduriencik got right to the point in introducing his philosophy going forward in Seattle I d love to have guys with good makeup and good character committed to the city and the ballclub But when all is said and done talent wins 4 One of Zduriencik s first moves was hiring Don Wakamatsu the first Asian American manager in MLB history Next during the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas Nevada Zduriencik made a remarkable three team 12 player trade that sent star closer J J Putz to the New York Mets as well as prospect second baseman Luis Valbuena to the Cleveland Indians In return the Mariners received outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez and first baseman Mike Carp a prospect in the Mets organization as well as starting pitcher prospect Jason Vargas 5 During the beginning of spring training Zduriencik signed Mariners fan favorite Ken Griffey Jr to a one year deal 6 After an 85 77 finish in 2009 Zduriencik s teams slumped to 61 101 in 2010 67 95 in 2011 75 87 in 2012 and 71 91 in 2013 On December 7 2013 Seattle Times columnist Geoff Baker wrote a scathing article about Zduriencik quoting past employees to show that he is difficult to work with He was accused of lying about knowledge of Josh Lueke s criminal past before a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays He is also accused of lying on his original job application that he has an advanced knowledge of and fondness for contemporary baseball Sabermetrics of the Billy Beane mold knowing that it would be beneficial in getting him hired An employee whom Zduriencik fired Tony Blengino made the claim that he not Zduriencik falsified Jack s resume according to Baker s article in the Seattle Times Blengino who was working for the Milwaukee Brewers with Zduriencik at the time said he authored virtually the entire job application package Zduriencik gave the Mariners in 2008 depicting a dual threat candidate melding traditional scouting with advanced statistical analysis 7 Asked to respond to accusations by former manager Eric Wedge and Blengino Zduriencik said I am aware of some of the comments of former members of our baseball operations group and I find them unjust misleading and one sided I don t believe the airing of dirty laundry should take place in the public arena so I am not going to talk about internal meetings daily conversations and personnel decisions 7 Zduriencik subsequently issued a public statement in response to the accusations in Baker s column The statement read in part I can also say that our current statistical analysis group is doing excellent work Our dedicated staff and the tools they are using are a key component in our decision making process and are light years ahead of where we have been I am engaged with their work on a daily basis and very excited in the improvements made We have never deviated from our rebuilding plan We have stayed the course and we now have a talented group of young players We are hard at work looking into every option to add to this core group as we said we would and we are looking forward to 2014 and beyond 8 Zduriencik s assertion that advanced metrics have always been part of his office s player evaluation process seems to have been borne out by his 2009 hire of Jeff Kingston to be his assistant general manager Kingston s grounding in advanced metrics was noted in a 2009 article in the Dickinson Magazine published by his alma mater Much of Kingston s research involves Sabermetrics a scientific statistical analysis of players and teams designed to project future performance 9 In addition the Mariners Baseball Operations Analyst Wesley Battle and Quantitative Analyst Jesse Smith brought a sabermetric perspective to their work with the club s front office In 2014 the Mariners enjoyed an 87 win season an improvement of 16 wins over the previous year s total and missed the playoffs by a single game On August 26 2014 the Mariners extended Zduriencik s contract to a multi year deal based on the positive performance of the team in the 2014 season Club President Kevin Mather expressed confidence that the Mariners were in position to be a contender for many years to come and thought Zduriencik was making a valiant effort 10 The Mariners fired Zduriencik on August 28 2015 During his tenure in Seattle the Mariners posted a 505 595 record which was the fifth worst record in baseball 11 Education editZduriencik earned a bachelor s degree in education at California University of Pennsylvania followed by a master s degree in physical education at Austin Peay State University 1 Personal editSelf nicknamed Trader Jack Jack is married to Debbie Zduriencik They have one daughter Kimberly 1 He is also an alumnus of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity Zduriencik currently works as the pre and post game co host for the Pittsburgh Pirates on their flagship station KDKA FM References edit a b c d Street Jim 2008 10 22 Mariners tab Zduriencik as new GM Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball Retrieved 2008 10 26 a b Haudricourt Tom 2007 12 03 Zduriencik Named Top Executive Baseball America Retrieved 2008 10 26 Hissey Tyler 2008 06 16 Firing Bavasi Right Move Scout com Retrieved 2008 10 26 Stone Larry 2008 10 25 No nonsense Jack Zduriencik faces many decisions as he takes over as Mariners GM The Seattle Times Retrieved 2008 10 26 Mariners announce three team 12 player trade with Mets and Indians Seattle Mariners December 11 2008 Archived from the original on May 11 2009 Retrieved February 5 2021 Crasnick Jerry 2009 02 19 Griffey chooses Mariners ESPN Retrieved 2021 02 05 a b Baker Geoff 2013 12 07 Dysfunction at the top Eric Wedge others point to trouble in Mariners front office The Seattle Times Retrieved 2021 02 05 Divish Ryan 2013 12 09 Statement from Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik The Seattle Times Archived from the original on 2013 12 11 Retrieved 2021 02 05 Batter Up Jeff Kingston 99 scores as a major league baseball executive http www2 dickinson edu magazine article cfm article 330 Drayer Shannon 2014 08 26 Jack Zduriencik s extension from the Mariners is a sign of the times Sports MyNorthwest com Retrieved 2021 02 05 Mariners fire GM Jack Zduriencik ESPN 2015 08 28 Retrieved 2021 02 05 External links editCareer statistics and player information from Baseball Reference Minors Preceded byLee Pelekoudas Seattle Mariners General Manager2009 2015 Succeeded byJeff Kingston interim Portal nbsp Biography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jack Zduriencik amp oldid 1215595848, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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