Allard Baird

Allard Baird (/ˈælərd ˈbɛərd/; born November 8, 1961) is an American professional baseball executive for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB), currently vice president and assistant general manager for scouting and player development. Baird previously held executive positions with the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox.

Allard Baird
New York Mets
Assistant general manager
Born: (1961-11-08) November 8, 1961
Rochester, New Hampshire
Teams

Early years

Baird grew up in Rochester, New Hampshire, where he played baseball for the Spaulding High School Red Raiders. He played college baseball at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in 1985, coached at SAU in 1986, and then was the head coach at Broward Community College in 1987.[1][2] Baird was inducted to the SAU hall of fame in 2012.[1]

Career

Kansas City Royals

Baird spent 18 years in the Kansas City Royals organization, starting as the hitting coach for Class A Appleton of the Midwest League in 1988.[3] He worked his way up the executive ladder, including serving as an assistant to the GM (1998) and assistant GM (1999–2000).[4]

Baird replaced Herk Robinson as the Royals' general manager on June 17, 2000. Baird's job was a difficult one: taking a small-market, losing-record 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.[5]

After a poor start to the 2006 Royals season, Baird was fired on May 31 and replaced by Dayton Moore. During Baird's tenure, the team amassed a win-loss record of 381–576 (.398), including three 100-loss seasons and only one winning season (2003). The Royals did lead MLB in hits for the 2000 season.[6]

Boston Red Sox

Baird joined the Boston Red Sox 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 later became the senior vice president of player personnel,[7] serving under President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. The Red Sox won the World Series three times during Baird's time with the team; 2007, 2013, and 2018.

New York Mets

On November 28, 2018, Baird was hired by the New York Mets, to work for new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.[8]

References

  1. "Hall of Fame: Allard Baird". muleriderathletics.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  2. Gregg, Kevin (2017). Boston Red Sox Media Guide. Boston Red Sox. p. 32.
  3. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/teams/roster.asp?Y=1988&T=10084
  4. Baseball America Executive Database
  5. Royals.com
  6. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/14707979.htm Kansas City.com
  7. mlb.com 2011.11.22
  8. Abraham, Peter (November 28, 2018). "Red Sox executive Allard Baird hired away by Mets". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
Preceded by
Herk Robinson
Kansas City Royals General Manager
20002006
Succeeded by
Dayton Moore
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