Craig Breslow is the Red Sox’s new chief baseball officer.
BRISTOL, Mass. (AP) – Craig Breslow experienced what baseball meant to Boston during two stints in the Red Sox bullpen.
But it’s possible that the experience that best prepared him for his new job came while he was working in the Cubs front office and traded away his son’s favorite player.
“I’ve worn multiple hats, and I think I’ve got a unique perspective,” Breslow said Thursday during a news conference at Fenway Park to be presented as the team’s chief baseball officer. “I also think I have the willingness and the conviction to make the tough decisions necessary to succeed in this role.”
Breslow, a journeyman who spent 16 years in professional baseball, takes over the Red Sox front office from fellow Yalie Chaim Bloom, who was sacked with three weeks left in the season after the team slid to its third last-place finish in four years.
Breslow had been working as an assistant general manager in Chicago. He was hired there and mentored by Theo Epstein, who also went to Yale before building the rosters that won World Series in Boston in 2004 and 2007. (Breslow would not identify which player was his child’s favorite, but while he was in Chicago the Cubs traded Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Kris Bryant.)
But Breslow brings to the job playing experience that neither Epstein nor Bloom had.
“I watched a lot of baseball games at Fenway Park. Some from the stands. Some from the bleachers. But most from the bullpen,” Breslow said. “I know what it’s like to put on a Red Sox jersey, to jog through the bullpen gate across freshly cut outfield grass. And I know what it’s like to stand on the mound in front of tens of thousands of the most passionate fans in the game, to feel the cool, fall breeze hit the Red Sox jersey. And I know what it’s like to hoist a World Series trophy overhead, the culmination of a group of people coming together to accomplish something that they couldn’t have alone.”
“I know what it means to win in Boston,” he said. “I understand that some of you will see me as another Ivy League nerd with a baseball front office job. It’s true, I am that. But I’m also a 13-year big leaguer. And a 2013 Boston Red Sox World Series champion. And I know what it means to win here. And I’m willing to make the hard decisions necessary to deliver.”
“My contribution to winning in this role will be different than it was back then. But one thing remains constant: My desire to win today is as strong as it was as a player,” he said, “and I can’t wait to get started.”
Breslow, 43, was born in New Haven and was the Yale baseball captain before graduating with degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. He put off medical school to pursue a career in the major leagues and stretched his career to 576 appearances over 13 seasons, going 23-30 with a 3.45 ERA.
Breslow pitched in 13 games for the 2006 Red Sox and was a September callup the following year, making the postseason roster when Boston won the World Series. He earned his first of two championship rings even though did not pitch in the majors that year. He was 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA for the Red Sox in 2013, including a 2.45 ERA in six postseason appearances as they won it all again.
Team president Sam Kennedy said it wasn’t just Breslow’s playing experience, it was how he adapted his pitching style to what would help him hang around.
“Craig is a problem-solver of the highest order,” Kennedy said. “He literally turned himself into a big-leaguer and turned himself into a front office executive using innovative and non-traditional methods. … Most importantly to us, he played right here in Boston at Fenway Park. And Craig knows firsthand what it takes and what it means to win here. And ultimately, he knows what our fans expect and what they deserve.”
Manager Alex Cora stated that he did not recall much interaction with his current boss as a teammate in 2006 and 2007. Cora, like Breslow, traveled around during his career, playing for six different teams before coaching in Houston and Boston.
Being a journeyman player, according to Cora, may be an asset as an executive since it exposed Breslow to diverse styles that he might not have encountered if he had spent his entire career with one club.
“You can learn from their errors.” “I learned from my mistakes over the years and how they helped me improve,” Cora added. “And hopefully our partnership can, you know, translate into a lot of wins and hopefully we can bring back that trophy that is in Texas right now.”
