Allard Baird

Allard "Hal" Baird (/ˈælərd ˈbɛərd/; born November 8, 1961) is an American professional baseball executive and the former general manager of the Kansas City Royals. He now works for the Boston Red Sox as senior vice president, player personnel,^[1] serving under President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. He joined Boston in 2006 as an assistant to the general manager after his firing in Kansas City and later was named vice president and director of professional scouting.

Baird grew up in Rochester, New Hampshire, where he played ball for the Spaulding High School Red Raiders. He played college baseball at Southern Arkansas University, coached at SAU and then at Broward Community College.^[2]

Baird spent 18 years in the Royals organization, starting as the hitting coach for Class A Appleton of the Midwest League. He worked his way up the executive ladder, including serving as an assistant to the GM (1998) and assistant GM (1999–2000).^[3]

Royals GM (2000–06)

Baird replaced Herk Robinson as the Royals' general manager on June 17, 2000. Baird's job was a difficult one: taking a small-market, dismal team and trying to compete against teams like the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.

During his six full years as general manager, Baird traded away popular players Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltrán, and Jermaine Dye with many Royal fans feeling that the team didn't get equal value. He also signed free agent Juan González to a one-year, $4 million contract, but he played only 33 games due to a back injury. ^[4]

After a terrible start to the season, Baird was fired on May 31, 2006, and replaced by Dayton Moore. During his tenure, the team amassed a win-loss record of 381–576 (.398), including three 100-loss seasons and only one winning season. The Royals did also lead the Majors in hits for the 2000 season.^[5]

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