Given the sustained success of the Boston Red Sox despite an unbelievable number of injuries, fans have to feel very confident that Theo Epstein is the right man for the job — if two World Series titles hadn't already convinced them.
This past offseason must be considered a success for Epstein, as nearly all of the players acquired have proven to be integral cogs in the Sox's midseason turnaround. Adrian Beltre has been nothing short of a revelation, threatening for an AL Batting Title in what has to be considered his best offensive season since his 48-home run campaign for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. And with an average hovering above .340, you could argue that this season has even surpassed that campaign.
Marco Scutaro, an addition that did not necessarily create great amounts of buzz around Red Sox Nation, has proven to be an effective bat and glove, as has Mike Cameron. While Bill Hall hasn't torn it up at the plate, his versatility has saved the Red Sox given the outlandish number of injuries (doesn't this Sox season almost feel like a Final Destination movie?). John Lackey, perhaps past his days as an ace, has a more than respectable 9-3 record, including a current 5-0 stretch, and his consistency and playoff experience will only make him more valuable as the season goes on.
Epstein's eye for minor league talent has surely been evident as well, as Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava have more than contributed as injury call-ups — they have proven that they are true pieces of the future for the Sox.
So who are Theo's chief competitors?
If it were 2001, the answer would likely be Oakland's Billy Beane, but after the dismantling of their "Big Three", Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, Beane has appeared to have lost his magic. The analytical revolution of Moneyball may have been ahead of its time, but other GMs wised up to those methods pretty quickly, and Beane has struggled to find an edge since.
Perhaps the Beane of this more recent "Speed, Defense and Minor Leagues" era in baseball strategy has been Tampa Bay's and former Bear Stearns employee Andrew Friedman. Clearly, he has assembled incredible amounts of talent on the mound, in the field and at the plate despite an incredibly tight budget. But just as was the case following Beane's period of success, other league executives seem to be stealing Friedman's ideas, and you have to wonder if he will have a next move.
They may not be sexy picks, but what about Florida's Larry Beinfest or Cincinnati's Walt Jocketty? Beinfest, running the notoriously cheap Marlins since 2002, has kept the small market team (in a big market) in contention far longer than Beane or Friedman can boast. Beinfest traded for Dontrelle Willis prior to his rookie season, acquired Juan Pierre in 2003 for next to nothing, and did the same for Hanley Ramirez, Rickey Nolasco, Dan Uggla, Anibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson. Florida's tough division and low budget have caused Beinfest to fly under the radar as a baseball mastermind, but he clearly is exactly that — and has a World Series ring to prove it.
Cincinnati's Walt Jocketty, moving from St. Louis after winning a world title of his own, has been a revelation for the struggling Reds, who find themselves in first place ahead of Jocketty's old club at the halfway point. The acquisition of Scott Rolen has proven to be a good one, and the Reds are a strong offensive team with an average of .275. For the first time in years, Cinci can pitch, particularly on the strength of their bullpen and rookie starter Mike Leake, whom Jocketty moved directly from Arizona State to the majors, something even Stephen Strasburg didn't do. And then there was Jocketty's tenure in St. Louis, where he created a perennial winner.
Oh, and how could we forget Brian Cashman? He has only won five titles since he became a part of the Yankee organization, and while his spending and strategy may have been ill advised in the "Jason Giambi trying to buy a title" era, he has returned to his '90s roots of late, bringing up minor league bats and arms and surrounding them with smart, though monumentally expensive, free-agent acquisitions.
Still, it's hard to pick against Theo. In a recent poll of GMs conducted by ESPN's Buster Olney, Epstein received eight votes for best GM. Nobody else received more than two votes. So is Theo Epstein the best GM in baseball?
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