Like all Mariners moves, this one — as impressive as was the rollout Tuesday — comes with a sort of world-weary sense of “Yeah, sounds good, but we’ve heard all this before” vibe.
Jerry Dipoto, the new Mariners general manager, has one of those eternally youthful faces. He’s 47 going on 27, and the aging process is further reversed by a frequently flashed smile that makes Tom Cruise’s famous grin look Mona Lisa-ish.
The question is, what will Dipoto look like down the line, after a few seasons in the Mariners’ crucible? Will it be like the before and after pictures of U.S. presidents, who seemingly age a decade each year under the pressure of the position?
The Mariners’ job chewed up and spit out Dipoto’s two predecessors, leaving the ballclub no closer to all the achievements that were promised at their introduction, too.
So like all Mariners moves, this one — as impressive as was the rollout Tuesday — comes with a sort of world-weary sense of “Yeah, sounds good, but we’ve heard all this before” vibe.
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Dipoto exudes passion and oozes competence, and his likability factor is off the charts. He struck all the right notes Tuesday at his news conference. But then again, do you think Bill Bavasi and Jack Zduriencik also talked about building a self-sustaining farm system, of running an inclusive, forward-thinking operation, and inheriting a team just on the verge of greatness, with the proper tinkering?
I’ll save you the research: They did.
So what will separate Dipoto has to be the execution of his grand ideas — and there was much to like in his answers to questions ranging from his abrupt resignation as Angels GM in June to his staunch belief in analytics.
He said he quit the Angels — supposedly over a clash with manager Mike Scioscia and his staff over the implementation of statistical analysis — because “sometimes it’s just right to move on. … I feel the way things ended for me in Anaheim will not define my career. It was a moment in my career.”
As for using statistical analysis as a decision-making tool, Dipoto said, “Information is king. If you have information, you’ve got the key to the universe. And if we’re not using it, we will.”
In terms of sound bytes, it’s hard to beat Dipoto’s assessment of manager Lloyd McClendon’s future, and his need to get to know the skipper before making a decision:
“The best marriages are those in which you fall in love and then get married, rather than someone arranging it from a thousand miles away.”
Dipoto managed to be respectful, even effusively complimentary, to McClendon and other current Mariners personnel without making any guarantees whatsoever about their employment status moving forward.
“Inevitably, there will be change,’’ he said. “The goal is to take all the goodness that exists here, and we’ll bind together and create greatness together.”
Yeah, he really talks like that, and does it without making you roll your eyes. Dipoto came across as a guy you would love to have a beer with — but he’d probably order a Diet Coke instead.
Here’s some background on the new Mariners mastermind. “The Natural” is his favorite movie, and Tom Seaver is his favorite player. In fact, the middle name of Dipoto’s son, Jonah, a college freshman, is “Seaver.” Jonah has had a framed picture of the Hall of Famer on his bedroom wall his entire life — along with a letter from Seaver granting him permission to wear Seaver’s No. 41, which has been retired, if he ever plays for the New York Mets.
Dipoto was a card-carrying member of the Society of American Baseball Research while pitching for the Cleveland Indians, the only active player in SABR at the time. And he’s a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 1994 while his wife, Tamie, was pregnant with their second child, Jordan.
At one point in the treatment of the illness, Dipoto’s heart stopped beating for 90 seconds from a bad reaction to blood-clot medication. Perhaps that helps explain Dipoto’s boundless energy and optimistic outlook. It’s all bonus time for him.
“I’m energetic,’’ he said. “This is who I am. I am positive. Every situation to me, the glass is half full. Somehow, I’m going to pull you over to my side of the line. I believe that’s true, and it will happen with this organization, too.
“I can’t promise you we’ll be ready to run at full steam by Nov. 11. But come April of next year, May of next year, September of next year, you’re going to see steady improvement, steady development of depth. We are going to get to the point we are versatile, flexible, and sustainable. There’s no doubt.”
I liked what Dipoto had to say about doing a better job of tailoring a team to Safeco Field, which means, among other things, becoming more athletic.
I liked what he said about his deep dive into the Mariners’ minor-league system. “I was a little disheartened at the overall strikeout rate in the minors,’’ he said. “You’ve got a lot of guys striking out a lot. Now, it’s a lot of very talented players with a lot of upside potential to tap into. That’s only going to happen if we can somehow develop more contact. I think that’s important. That’s going to be Step No. 1.”
I liked what he said about using trades and player development as the primary building blocks of an organization, “and to me, free agents augment the roster you have. In a perfect world, you get to a stage where the foundation is strong enough you use free agency as a pure accent move rather than a foundational builder.”
I like what he said about balancing scouting, development and analytics: “I want to find a way where every decision you make, you draw from each of those buckets, and rely on good people around you to advise you when you’re not drawing from one in the right dose.”
I like what Dipoto said about his “it takes a village” viewpoint on leadership, and the need for collaboration.
“As I said to Lloyd yesterday, my goal is to sit in a group where everyone around me is smarter than I am, prettier than I am, and knows what to do,’’ Dipoto said. “And then rely on them to help me make good decisions.”
I will take under advisement his answer to the question about his freedom to do his job, without interference from team president Kevin Mather and CEO Howard Lincoln.
“Kevin and Howard have assured me I have the autonomy to make the decisions for baseball operations,’’ he said.
While outlining his vision for the Mariners on Tuesday, Dipoto often prefaced his remarks with the phrase, “In a perfect world,” or “In an ideal world.”
The Mariners’ world has been far from perfect and less than ideal.
It’s Dipoto’s turn to try to steer them in that direction. He won the news conference. Now comes the hard part.