The Detroit Tigers have continued their long overdue front officer overhaul by poaching the man who leads the Tampa Bay Rays amateur scouting department to be their new Assistant General Manager, giving him the title of VP to cement the change in roles as a promotion.
With his addition, the Tigers now have three AGM’s in Metzler, Sam Menzin and Jay Sartori, the latter two being promoted into their roles a little over a year ago.
Rays senior director of amateur scouting Rob Metzler was promoted to his Rays role following the transition of RJ Harrison to a Senior Advisor role beginning in 2016. And while it may seem atypical for an AGM to come from an amateur scouting background, this was a clear area of need in the Tigers front office following their two most recent moves at the executive level, per MLBTR’s coverage of Metzler’s poaching:
His hiring comes just one day after longtime assistant GM David Chadd and the organization parted ways. Detroit also dismissed former amateur scouting director Scott Pleis earlier this month.
Most stories alongside Metzler’s name will highlight top draft picks like Shane McClanahan and Josh Lowe; however, it’s the names down the draft list where Metzler and his team’s work has shined, bringing to the Rays talents like Brandon Lowe, Joe Ryan, Nate Lowe, Taylor Walls, and rising top prospects like Taj Bradley, Kyle Manzardo, and Austin Vernon.
In line with the President’s comments on his innovative approach, Metzler promised in a statement to bring Detroit, “the most comprehensive information possible to help inform our decision making.” That sure sounds like the Rays way!
