Blue Jays to name Mark Shapiro as CEO and President

[Deebo]

http://m.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article/146398020/blue-jays-to-name-mark-shapiro-president

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays' search for a new president is over, as it was revealed on Monday that veteran Indians front-office executive Mark Shapiro will be the successor to Paul Beeston.

Ownership group Rogers Communications and the Indians acknowledged the move in public statements issued Monday morning. Shapiro will take over at season's end for Beeston, who previously announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season.

 

[Joe S.]

I think I heard an interview with JP Morosi that Shapiro and Anthopolous get along very well...

 

[Kin]

Because if you've got a chance to get some of that Cleveland Indians success...

 

[Joe S.]

It's not about the baseball talent, it's more about operations - and I'm not sure what his role was in Cleveland, but their park is fantastic.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they want someone for the on field talent, they're looking for someone for stadium/team operations...

 

[Kin]

It's not about the baseball talent, it's more about operations - and I'm not sure what his role was in Cleveland, but their park is fantastic.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they want someone for the on field talent, they're looking for someone for stadium/team operations...

That's just it though. Shapiro's background isn't business-oriented, he came up as a baseball guy. And the Indians have been relatively ok on the field but have struggled to get people out to what is an admittedly nice stadium(although one built well pre-Shapiro).

 

[L K]

It's not about the baseball talent, it's more about operations - and I'm not sure what his role was in Cleveland, but their park is fantastic.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they want someone for the on field talent, they're looking for someone for stadium/team operations...

That's just it though. Shapiro's background isn't business-oriented, he came up as a baseball guy. And the Indians have been relatively ok on the field but have struggled to get people out to what is an admittedly nice stadium(although one built well pre-Shapiro).

To be fair he came on when ownership changed and nerfed their payroll.  Hard to attract fans to a lousy product.  Cleveland really shouldn't be sitting at 70-80 million in payroll.

 

[Captain Canuck]

The Indians just did a complete renovation in the right field area of Progressive Field and I believe they have plans to renovate the home plate area of the stadium this coming off-season. It looks great and this work was largely overseen by Shapiro.

I've been to a few games there and it's a fun place to watch a game. I haven't been to Philly, but the cheesesteaks at Progressive Field are freaking amazing! The concessions in general are very good and about to get even better during the next renovation and again this is largely due to Shapiro's leadership.

Maybe Shapiro's background isn't business, but he certainly has been making some solid decisions for the Tribe on all the off-field stuff. The problem with the Indians is trying to draw fans with the lousy on-field product and the crap payroll that is tied directly to that. I have heard Dolan is currently trying to sell a significant minority share of the team in order to raise $. The problem is who is going to throw big money at the Indians while still giving Dolan controlling interest?

 

[Kin]

To be fair he came on when ownership changed and nerfed their payroll.  Hard to attract fans to a lousy product.  Cleveland really shouldn't be sitting at 70-80 million in payroll.

It hasn't been a lousy product though. They were a playoff team in 2013 and won 85 games last year, playing meaningful September baseball and both years they finished in the bottom 3 in attendance.

 

[Zee]

On the radio this morning they were pronouncing his name as Sha-pyro which is bugging me. I've always pronounced that spelling as Sha-peero.  Little things like this I just can't let go.

 

[bustaheims]

On the radio this morning they were pronouncing his name as Sha-pyro which is bugging me. I've always pronounced that spelling as Sha-peero.  Little things like this I just can't let go.

Yeah. He pronounces his name in an unusual way. They're saying it right, but it sounds so wrong.

 

[L K]

To be fair he came on when ownership changed and nerfed their payroll.  Hard to attract fans to a lousy product.  Cleveland really shouldn't be sitting at 70-80 million in payroll.

It hasn't been a lousy product though. They were a playoff team in 2013 and won 85 games last year, playing meaningful September baseball and both years they finished in the bottom 3 in attendance.

No, that's fair.  I'm just not sure how to evaluate his job as good/bad because I don't really have a great grasp on what he has done poorly to cause that low attendance.  The stadium is decent, the ticket prices are some of the lowest in the majors, the team isn't awful most of the time, their beer is some of the cheapest, the food is cheaper, parking is cheaper etc.

Obviously fault does need to lie with the organizational structure when the fans aren't coming out to the games, but where did Shapiro go wrong?  I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring it out. 

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

To be fair he came on when ownership changed and nerfed their payroll.  Hard to attract fans to a lousy product.  Cleveland really shouldn't be sitting at 70-80 million in payroll.

It hasn't been a lousy product though. They were a playoff team in 2013 and won 85 games last year, playing meaningful September baseball and both years they finished in the bottom 3 in attendance.

No, that's fair.  I'm just not sure how to evaluate his job as good/bad because I don't really have a great grasp on what he has done poorly to cause that low attendance.  The stadium is decent, the ticket prices are some of the lowest in the majors, the team isn't awful most of the time, their beer is some of the cheapest, the food is cheaper, parking is cheaper etc.

Obviously fault does need to lie with the organizational structure when the fans aren't coming out to the games, but where did Shapiro go wrong?  I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring it out.

Some comments on their attendance issues:

Once the full rebuild commenced in 2009, a large chunk of the remaining diehards seemed to jump ship. Progressive Field?other than Friday night fireworks, giveaways, and dollar dog nights?has largely been a ghost town, even in the summer months. It?s one thing when the crowds look dismal in early April and May, but to see these summer crowds look so barren is very disconcerting. Not even a pennant race in 2013 could draw more than 25,000 in September.
To their credit, the organization is doing as much as they can to bring people back to the park off the field. The winter renovations of the center and right field dubbed ?The Corner,? have been widely praised by everyone who has experienced them. All of this was funded internally by ownership, who still continue to be public enemy number one with a large faction of this ?fan base.? The new food options in The District, from Barrio to Sweet Moses, Dyn-o-mite Burger, and Melt have been a critical success. The two-story Kids Clubhouse is a fantastic place to get younger fans acclimated to the ballpark and is a major step up from the previous version of itself. The Corner Bar is literally the place to be on Friday and Saturday night games. The $13 District tickets with your first beer on the house and a cool place to chill during a Tribe game is a fantastic idea. It?s just not enough for the casual fan.

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2015/07/cleveland-indians-attendance-progressive-field/

 

[pmrules]

On the radio this morning they were pronouncing his name as Sha-pyro which is bugging me. I've always pronounced that spelling as Sha-peero.  Little things like this I just can't let go.

Yeah. He pronounces his name in an unusual way. They're saying it right, but it sounds so wrong.

If I recall, that's how they pronounced it in moneyball.

 

[Zee]

On the radio this morning they were pronouncing his name as Sha-pyro which is bugging me. I've always pronounced that spelling as Sha-peero.  Little things like this I just can't let go.

Yeah. He pronounces his name in an unusual way. They're saying it right, but it sounds so wrong.

Yeah I figure that's how he pronounces his own name, I just don't like it.  Call me petty.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

On the radio this morning they were pronouncing his name as Sha-pyro which is bugging me. I've always pronounced that spelling as Sha-peero.  Little things like this I just can't let go.

Yeah. He pronounces his name in an unusual way. They're saying it right, but it sounds so wrong.

Yeah I figure that's how he pronounces his own name, I just don't like it.  Call me petty.

Petty.

 

[Kin]

No, that's fair.  I'm just not sure how to evaluate his job as good/bad because I don't really have a great grasp on what he has done poorly to cause that low attendance.  The stadium is decent, the ticket prices are some of the lowest in the majors, the team isn't awful most of the time, their beer is some of the cheapest, the food is cheaper, parking is cheaper etc.

Obviously fault does need to lie with the organizational structure when the fans aren't coming out to the games, but where did Shapiro go wrong?  I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring it out.

Well, my comment wasn't really intended as a particularly serious or nuanced criticism of the job he's done in Cleveland. I'm sure he'll do a serviceable job as what they've hired him for but this certainly isn't akin to the Dodgers hiring Andrew Friedman or the Cubs hiring Theo Epstein where you say "Well, sure, look at the success there".

Without wanting to draw too direct a line it's a little similar to how I felt when JFJ got hired where the Blues didn't really strike me as the organization to be poaching.

But, that said, it's pretty clear that Shapiro wasn't their first choice so I can't be too surprised that who they eventually landed on isn't terribly exciting or interesting.

 

[hockeyfan1]

First of all, I don't think we should be comparing Toronto to Cleveland.  While there's renewed interest here for the Jays considering their hot play of late, I believe that with a competitive team and a renovated Rogers Centre, it'll be different from Cleveland.

But then again, I mentioned the word competitive.  What will happen in the off-season, or moreover, what hand or influence Shapiro will have concerning the Jays overall team scope -- expiring contracts on key players, re-signing others to long-term, trimming the payroll, etc., -- as well as how he and Anthopoulos fare (presuming AA will return), will determine the shape and scope of things to come for the Jays franchise & home field, too.

It's going to eventually be an interesting off-season in Jaysland.

?I am happy to pass him the baton ? but not just yet,? Beeston said in a Rogers Communications Inc. statement. ?Alex [Anthopoulos], the team, and I have a little more work to do and we?re focused on putting more Ws in the win column."

A wide range of unresolved questions will welcome Shapiro to Toronto when Beeston?s contract expires October 31. The Blue Jays must determine whether to pursue David Price in free agency, bolster a starting rotation that includes four potential free agents and weigh contract extensions for some top players. Anthopoulos isn?t under contract beyond this year, so the Blue Jays must lock him up, assuming they?re pleased with the team that ranks second in the American League in wins. And Shapiro will have to navigate renovations to Rogers Centre and business deals in his new role. There?s plenty of work ahead.


http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/shapiro-comes-to-blue-jays-as-well-loved-individual/

 

[Kin]

First of all, I don't think we should be comparing Toronto to Cleveland.  While there's renewed interest here for the Jays considering their hot play of late, I believe that with a competitive team and a renovated Rogers Centre, it'll be different from Cleveland.

So you should only compare two things that are exactly the same? Then what would the point of a comparison be?

But more to the point, he ran a baseball team in Cleveland. He's being hired to run one in Toronto. His previous experience doing exactly the same job shouldn't inform how we feel about his hiring?

Not to mention you didn't actually give any reasons for why we shouldn't compare the two other than they'd be "different".

 

[hockeyfan1]

Did fan interest, or moreover, attendance peak in Cleveland even with all of the renovations and all at Progressive Field, at a time when the Indians improved under Shapiro?

Considering the current attendance here in Toronto in light of the Blues Jays being competitive once again, in spite of huge tickets prices, expensive concession products, etc., and taking account the Canadian $, could we say it's been 'different' from Cleveland? 

Under Shapiro, if the Jays remain as good as they seem, with more improvements of course, plus a renovated playing park, plus perhaps lower (or the same) concession prices plus other attractions/incentives, etc., I don't think attendance will lag as it did in Cleveland, even with all of it's improvements both on & off the field.

 

[Kin]

Under Shapiro, if the Jays remain as good as they seem...

So as long as the Blue Jays are good forever attendance won't drag? What are the chances of that? Leaving aside the basic, elementary truth that performance in baseball is variable, everyone who looked at what the Jays did at the deadline said they were sacrificing long term for the short so rougher waters are almost certainly ahead.

So, no, saying that attendance this year is good does not make Toronto a fundamentally different situation than Cleveland. Most of us aren't goldfish and can remember what the Blue Jays were drawing in May.