With the Phillies set to name 68 year-old Pat Gillick their new General Manager today, The Good Phight presents a look at Gillick's career and track record through articles and interviews. We'll dig into his track record with detailed analysis later on.
Update [2005-11-2 14:41:13 by dajafi]:See also this nice summary piece from our pals at PhilliesNation.
First, the timeline:
- 1937: Gillick born Aug. 22 in California
- 1958: Helps pitch USC to national championship; graduates at age 20 with a business degree; begins a five-year minor-league career in the Orioles organization
- 1963: Retires as a player and takes position as assistant farm director with the Houston Astros. Over the next 11 years, Gillick works his way up to become Houston's director of scouting.
- 1974: Joins the New York Yankees as Coordinator of Player Development.
- 1976: Jumps to expansion Toronto Blue Jays as Vice President of Player Personnel; promoted to Vice President of Baseball Operations the next year.
- 1980: At Gillick's behest, the Blue Jays select George Bell from the Phillies organization in the Rule V Draft. Bell goes on to hit 265 home runs in the majors and wins the AL MVP award in 1987.
- 1984: Gillick named Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations (in non-corporatese, "GM"). He holds the job for 11 seasons, during which time the Blue Jays win five AL East titles (1985, 1989, 1991-93) and two World Championships (1992-93). His in-season trades for David Cone in 1992 and Rickey Henderson a year later help put the Jays over the top in both seasons.
- 1995: After the season, Gillick takes the GM reins with the Baltimore Orioles and hires Davey Johnson to manage. The Orioles reach the ALCS in both 1996 and 1997. Gillick leaves following the 1998 season after clashing with Baltimore owner Peter Angelos.
- 1999: Following a disappointing season, the Seattle Mariners name Gillick GM. He immediately makes waves by trading disgruntled superstar Ken Griffey Jr. to Cincinnati for Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko, and three prospects. In 2000, the Mariners win 91 games and claim a wild-card berth.
- 2001: Bolstered by free agent additions Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Boone, the Mariners win 116 games and advance to the ALCS before losing to the Yankees. Gillick is named Executive of the Year.
- 2003: Following two straight seasons in which the Mariners won 93 games but missed the playoffs, Gillick steps down to become a senior adviser.
- 2005: Gillick hired by the Phillies on November 2.
And some articles:
All-Baseball Interviews Gillick, August 2005
"Stand Pat"? Gillick's deadline deliberations, July 2003 (from The Sporting News)