Meet Bryan Minniti

Hired pre-season 2001 as an operations intern, Pittsburgh Pirates Director of Baseball Operations Bryan Minniti has seen a lot of turnover in the organization he has worked for the last eight years – two majority owners, three general managers, and a host of front office and field personnel.

But the one change he’s wanted to see most has eluded him.

Winning.

He believes that’s about to change with the Pirates revamped front office.

“If I say this to someone who knows me, it’s going to mean a little bit more,” Minniti said. But I believe in this group – they are a sharp group of guys who are raising the bar in a lot of different areas. I believe in the people and the processes they are bringing.”

Minniti is twenty-seven-years-old, single, loves Jazz, and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 with dual majors in mathematics and statistics. But don’t call him a Moneyball executive.

“I would say I’m less a statistics oriented guy but I don’t have the applied scouting experience. My belief is in the people who have spent their lives out there watching, and playing, and coaching it. The level of appreciation I have for that will never wane – it’s such a difference maker.”

Minniti wanted to be a doctor in college but life’s path took him down a different road.

Pittsburgh Pirates Coordinator of Baseball Operations, Jon Mercurio, and then Pirates’ General Manager Cam Bonifay, opened that door to Minniti by hiring him as a Baseball Operations Intern in January 2001. One of the responsibilities he was handed was to provide daily matchups to Lloyd McClendon and his field staff.

After his four-month internship ended, he remained on over the summer and assisted with the draft. The Pirates opened the 2001 temporada 19-41 through June 10th and Cam Bonifay was fired the next day. About a month later, David Littlefield was hired and Minniti saw a few more opportunities handed to him.

Hired part-time with full-time hours in 2002, Minniti got more involved in salary arbitration research with chief-counsel Larry Silverman, who had been brought in-house. He also began studying rules and regulations and spent time going to games learning the scouting end.

“I spent a lot of time on my own for a couple of summers anytime I could sneak out to a game on weekends and pay my own way. I would drive out, stay at hotels, go to games, and be around our staff. You kind of develop those relationships and experiences.”

His desire to learn paid off.

Starting January 2004, Dave Littlefield pulled Minniti more to the Major League side of operations and eventually he assumed responsibility for the club’s management of Major League Rules and Regulations, Transações, and contract research.

Four years of hard work later, and yet another new regime installed, Minniti was promoted by General Manager Neal Huntington to Director of Baseball Operations.

“I’ve been very, very fortunate,” Minniti humbly said. “I really have. I recognize this at my age and experience level I’ve been given a lot of chances.”

hoje, Minniti’s job responsibilities include “assisting Neal Huntington on everything and anything including contracts, rules, budgets, Transações, pro scouting issues, clubhouse issues, intern program, etc…essentially, anything that doesn’t directly fall into [player development] or scouting.”

“Early on it was just Neal and I after everyone was let go,” Minniti offered. “It was kind of the last man standing. Neal was busy as all get out and he’d say ‘would you mind making this call’ and I’d say ‘absolutely not.’ So I started running with it. It’s one of those things that just kind of happened.”

Despite not having a professional baseball background, the new operations director continued to push forward reaching out to players and agents in his work. Did he find any reluctance from the ‘old school’ along the way?

“Any success I’ve had has been from recognizing that I don’t know anything in this game compared to the people who have been in it forever,” Minniti quickly added. “When I ask questions and I listen and I learn, those people take interest in you. I think that’s how you break through those boundaries. They look at you and say, ei, my kids are older than you but you’re a good kid – you listen, you ask the right questions, you really want to learn… this is how I see it.”

“This whole thing is built on trust and relationships.”

Sosnick Cobbe Sports in California represents five players on the Pirates roster including Freddy Sanchez who recently signed a multi-year deal. Over the last few years, the agency has had numerous dealings with Minniti.

“I think [Bryan Minniti] has played a very important role in what’s happening with the Pirates right now,” partner Paul Cobbe said. “With the new front office coming in, he’s been one of the few guys who has stayed, and I think that’s probably a testament to the fact that he’s worked very hard the last couple of years. But it’s been quality work.”

“He’s one of these guys that is part of this fraternity of young guys coming up in baseball that people see as the sky being the limit in where his career could take him.”

His career in Pittsburgh, contudo, was nearly derailed.

While Huntington was busy cleaning house, Minniti found himself with a couple of opportunities to leave as well. Em vez de, he decided to stay on.

“The biggest sell to me was that I had grown to like Neal and trust Neal. I knew people he knew that told me wonderful things,” Minniti stated. Abruptly, his voice became crisp and his response the most self-assured seen during the interview as he finished: “And the guys he was bringing in – Kyle Stark and Greg Smith – they are coming from places where it worked. e, para mim, they knew what it looked like. That was important to me.”

The Pirates front-office team has now been together since November and differences in the new regime’s philosophies are already becoming apparent. The most obvious being a ‘value for value’ attitude in regard to trades and free agent signings.

Huntington brought in well known statistical analyst Eddie Epstein as a consultant last fall to assist the club in player valuations, trade negotiations, regra 5 evaluations, and other research projects. Minniti mentioned it was the first time that he could remember a statistical analyst had been added to the payroll. “We had some different things done – projects here and there. Those were early on.”

Outside of adding Epstein, what differences does Minniti see in the front office today? Is there more communication flowing?

“The cohesiveness has been unbelievable. I can’t tell you how quickly things came together in the office. There’s no way anyone would have guessed it could have gone more swimmingly than it did.”

“We’ve improved our processes greatly. I think that’s going to be the biggest impact. I think there is better communications – more quality, more frequent, more open to different opinions.“

Minniti was quick to add the difference in communications might also be attributed to his being in a new role.

Can the new processes translate to wins down the road?

“I’ve lived it… I’ve lived it the last six to seven years. I’ve had points where I felt really good, enjoyed everything, and then all of a sudden say – oh wait a second, this isn’t so good. A realidade é, if you don’t win, you don’t hang around.”

“There is no one who wants to win more than we do.”

The Pirates have a lean front office compared to many teams which has provided more opportunities for the younger group to learn over the years. Is it possible we’ll see Minniti as a GM candidate in the next ten years?

“I don’t know about all that. The stars have to align for those types of things.”

Perhaps they are starting to?

–

Note por Jake — I did this interview in February for a larger publication but they never got around to publishing it.  Hey, I’m not the best writer in the world by any means so I can’t blame them. 

But I wanted Pirates fans a chance to get to know the one guy in Huntington’s group making decisions and impacting change who we knew the least about, and that was easily Minniti.  While the offices are full of great guys on Federal Street, Minniti is the one person most of you would probably want to hang with - he’s really that kewl.

And make no mistake about this – he’s more than determined to do all he can to move this franchise forward.  Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have the position to impact as much change as you or I might like to see from him. 

At least, not yet that is.

–

Update Nov 11, 2009:  Bryan was hired as the Nats AGM yesterday.  Turns out he’s about to get married to a gal who also works in baseball close to where he’ll be working.  What a blessing and I wish him the best!