Some of the rumored top names on the Mets list of potential GM candidates are former Twins GM Terry Ryan, Rangers GM Jon Daniels, and Dodgers Assistant General Manager of Scouting Logan White. Adam Rubin of ESPN NY cited lots of industry buzz about the potential of White, and Jim Callis of Baseball America gave his vote of confidence as well.

As I said during the Mets recap podcast earlier this week, it’s difficult to evaluate executives because, unlike players and managers, there isn’t a won/loss record or stat line to evaluate. However, what you do find on White is rather impressive.

White’s scouting background would do wonders for the Mets. From 2002-2004 the Dodgers were the only team in the league that had their draft ranked in the top five in baseball. Seven pitchers were taken in the eight drafts run by White since 2002. The strategy has yielded names such as Kershaw, Broxton, and Billingsley. White was responsible for drafting both Russell Martin and Matt Kemp in the later rounds as well. He also signed both Takashi Saito and Hiroki Kuroda from Japan, as both were instrumental in helping the Dodgers reach the postseason. According to MLB.com 23 of the 40 members of the Dodgers roster were drafted or signed by the teams scouting department. For a team like the Mets, who have seen their farm system criticized, that would be a welcome change.

Earlier this year Baseball Prospectus interviewed White and discussed his approach to the draft. He cites “getting to the World Series and having championship teams—is that you need to produce about 30 major-league players per decade.” Instead of looking at pure numbers, he analyzed historical trends in the draft as a way to determine the best course of action.

If the Mets are to sustain any type of successful run they need to complement their spending with a solid farm system. This is how the Red Sox and Yankees have extended their winning cycle. It’s no secret that a good farm system makes the wealth of big market teams that much more of a weapon. It certainly appears from the resume that White has a scouting pedigree since he started with the Mariners in 1988.

For what it’s worth Callis did say back on September 30^th that White wants to remain in Los Angeles, however he did interview for the Arizona job that eventually went to Kevin Towers. Houston passed over White for their GM position in 2007 as well. Perhaps their loss will be the Mets gain.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

View all posts by Mike Silva
Mikes website

Tags: Logan White, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets