Mike Hazen
Michael Norman Hazen (born January 7, 1976) is an American professional baseball executive and current executive vice president and general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB).[1] A Princeton University graduate and former minor league outfielder, he previously served as the GM and senior Vice President of the Boston Red Sox and worked under Ben Cherington.[2]
Early life
Hazen was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and grew up in nearby Abington.[3] He played four years of varsity baseball for the Princeton Tigers and was selected in the 31st round by the San Diego Padres in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. After batting .307 with 62 hits in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 1998, he was promoted to the Class A Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League. He batted only .203 in 72 games played in 1999 and a chronic shoulder injury ended his active career.[4] As a player, he threw left-handed, batted right-handed and was listed at 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) tall and 195 pounds (88 kg).
Career
Hazen joined the Cleveland Indians as an intern[4] then became one of the clubs' advance scouts in 2001–02. Promoted to assistant director of professional scouting in 2003, he then spent two full seasons (2004–05) as Cleveland's assistant director of player development, working directly under John Farrell, now the incumbent field manager of the Red Sox.[3]
Hazen initially came to the Boston Red Sox as director of player development in February 2006 (Farrell would follow as the team's pitching coach eight months later), and then was vice president, player development and amateur scouting, in 2011. He was promoted to vice president and assistant general manager (under Cherington) in 2012, then named a senior vice president and assistant GM in early 2015.[3] On September 23, 2015, Hazen was named general manager by the Red Sox's president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski. Although Dombrowski assumed final authority for baseball decisions, Hazen served as a top aide and had input in the club's decision-making.[5] During his one full season in the post, Boston won the 2016 American League East Division championship, but fell in the ALDS to the eventual league champions, the Indians.
On October 16, 2016, Hazen agreed to become the executive vice president and general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks,[6] where he will be the team's top baseball operations executive.
References
- ↑ Mastrodonato, Jason (October 16, 2015). "Red Sox name Mike Hazen new GM". The Boston Herald. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ↑ "Sox name Mike Hazen as new general manager".
- 1 2 3 2015 Boston Red Sox media guide, page 40
- 1 2 Lauber, Scott (September 25, 2015). "Princeton coach recalls Mike Hazen's road to becoming Red Sox GM". The Boston Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ↑ Britton, Tim. "Mike Hazen aims to learn from time spent under Dombrowski". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ Piecoro, Nick. "Arizona Diamondbacks name Mike Hazen general manager". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
| Preceded by Ben Cherington |
Boston Red Sox General Manager 2015–2016 |
Succeeded by Dave Dombrowski |
| Preceded by Dave Stewart |
Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager 2017–present |
Succeeded by Current |