Purpura, Levine being considered for Rangers' Director of Player Development

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 29, 2011 11:04 AM CST

Per Evan Grant, the Rangers are reportedly considering former Houston Astros general manager Tim Purpura to replace the departed Scott Servais as the team's Director of Player Development, and are also considering moving assistant general manager Thad Levine into that role.

Levine has also, per Grant, been given permission to interview with the Houston Astros about their vacant general manager job. Andrew Friedman, the Rays' general manager (who works under former Astro g.m. Gerry Hunsicker), has also been given permission to interview for that job.

A couple of interesting aspects of this...Levine has been bandied about as a guy the Astros had interest in for a while. Jim Crane obviously is very familiar with the Rangers' front office, given his unsuccessful run at buying the team last year, and it wouldn't be surprising if he were to try to raid the front office in looking to rebuild the Astros. Levine is also reportedly very well thought of around baseball, and viewed as a future general manager.

Levine is kind of a Minister Without Portfolio right now in the Rangers' front office, with a title of assistant general manager. Grant notes that putting Levine in charge of player development would give him an opportunity to manage a department, something that he hasn't done in the past.

As for Purpura, his name coming up is interesting, given that in 2008, when rumors were swirling that Nolan Ryan was on the verge of axing both Ron Washington and Jon Daniels, Purpura was frequently mentioned as Daniels' likely replacement. Purpura's stint as the Astros' general manager was disastrous, although how much of that is on him and how much of that is the result of a dysfunctional operating structure that featured Tal Smith as team president and Drayton McLane as a difficult owner is hard to say.

During the 2009-10 offseason, there was a certain closing of the ranks in the Rangers' front office. Daniels ended up with an "inner circle" of his guys -- Levine, A.J. Preller, Scott Servais, and Don Welke. There seemed to be some thought that Ryan was letting Daniels pick his people, but that if 2010 didn't work out, there'd be significant changes, potentially including a new g.m.

2010 worked out, of course. But now we're starting to see the inevitable fallout of having a successful organization...Daniels' core guys are being poached. And I'm curious to see how much involvement the team president has in deciding who will replace those people.

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Comments

Yeah my primary thought is summed up in your last paragraph

Surely Daniels has built up the goodwill necessary to keep Nolan out of it

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 11:21 AM CST reply actions

Are you going to front page the other CPRs like the first one?

probably doesn’t need it (probably not 3 either), but after that it would save us from also having to rec it up each day.

Josey Wales: "And if you think intangibles really do exist, how in the F could you vote Ellsbury as the MVP?"

Adam J. Morris: "If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college."

by Gdawg on Nov 29, 2011 11:30 AM CST reply actions

Why do you need to rec it up, anyway?

If it’s that day’s post, everyone can see it

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 11:32 AM CST up reply actions

To get it to the top

OT threads, CFB and CBB threads, other random threads and all.

Josey Wales: "And if you think intangibles really do exist, how in the F could you vote Ellsbury as the MVP?"

Adam J. Morris: "If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college."

by Gdawg on Nov 29, 2011 12:07 PM CST up reply actions

So it stays there for 2 weeks?

Rec’d fanposts should be for the good stuff that needs to be up for multiple days at a time. Daily CPPs dont IMO

by bigsteve on Nov 29, 2011 12:10 PM CST up reply actions

Thank you

Those of us discussing, can always find the CPP threads

We are willing to scan through the whole titles of 2 other threads to find it, because we’re committed like that.

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 12:19 PM CST up reply actions

The way its always been done is to rec it up that day

and when the new one goes up, to unrec the previous one and rec the first one. That way the latest one is always at the top of the page.

Josey Wales: "And if you think intangibles really do exist, how in the F could you vote Ellsbury as the MVP?"

Adam J. Morris: "If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college."

by Gdawg on Nov 29, 2011 1:06 PM CST up reply actions

Has that ever worked, ever?

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 1:19 PM CST up reply actions

Yes...

Were you not here for the mid season rankings?

"I became an optimist when I discovered that I wasn't going to win any more games by being anything else." by Earl Weaver

by Brad on Nov 29, 2011 1:20 PM CST up reply actions

I thought I was, but I must have missed if it happened

I’ve been generally aggravated about how people rec those, and thus, we’ll have 5 CPP’s as our rec’d fanposts, since I joined in ’08

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 1:44 PM CST up reply actions

People get lazy or forget sometimes

but it usually works pretty well. We just always needed someone to post a reminder in each thread and it usually worked. Sometimes when the discussion was still going on though, we would have 2 or 3 at the most in the rec’d fanposts.

Josey Wales: "And if you think intangibles really do exist, how in the F could you vote Ellsbury as the MVP?"

Adam J. Morris: "If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college."

by Gdawg on Nov 29, 2011 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

Why do they need to be recc'd?

Nobody comments on the prior ones 2 days later?

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 2:51 PM CST up reply actions

no question mark on the 2nd part

I am Ron Burgandy?

by Jobu. on Nov 29, 2011 2:51 PM CST up reply actions

Maybe not 2 days later, but there are a lot of good conversations going on in these.

Sometimes that carries over more than 24 hours.

Josey Wales: "And if you think intangibles really do exist, how in the F could you vote Ellsbury as the MVP?"

Adam J. Morris: "If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college."

by Gdawg on Nov 29, 2011 3:44 PM CST up reply actions

I don't remember

there ever being a college basketball thread.

"Calmer than you are dude"

by Arlington Stadium Legend on Nov 29, 2011 12:17 PM CST up reply actions

Oh yeah,

and new College football thread if anyone cares.

"Calmer than you are dude"

by Arlington Stadium Legend on Nov 29, 2011 12:18 PM CST up reply actions

Worth mentioning that this was Purpura's job from 97-04 before he became the GM and before they became the LOLstros.

by LiamP on Nov 29, 2011 11:40 AM CST via mobile reply actions

and that was a pretty good era for houston

Go Rice Owls!
Would be a Matt Harrison fan, but I only like superstars

by JBImaknee on Nov 29, 2011 12:14 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

I think he was a classic case of a guy getting promoted beyond his capabilities.

He was great as a player development guy, but god-awful as a GM.

by MikeEl on Nov 29, 2011 12:33 PM CST up reply actions

The Houston hierarchy was pretty fucked.

No GM would have succeeded.

Defending Big D Check it out
Twitter
"You guys are talking about living forever like it’s a real thing, but I bust out a man shoving his head into a vagina, and it’s srs time?"
--iorange555 8/23/2011

by Josh Lile on Nov 29, 2011 12:44 PM CST up reply actions

My gut feeling is that I want nothing to do with the people that have been running the Astros

by blakethegr8 on Nov 29, 2011 12:01 PM CST reply actions

Purpura and Nolan Ryan

When Nolan Ryan purchased the Round Rock Express, and the Astros moved the Zephyrs from New Orleans to Round Rock, Tim Purpura was the Player Development Director for the Astros. In the early 2000’s, the Astros were considered to have one of the top minor league systems and a bunch of major league players came through Double-A Round Rock.

My guess is Nolan Ryan knows Tim Purpura pretty well, and also knows exactly when the farm system was gutted, and why Gerry Hunsicker left the Astros. The rumors were because John McLane intervened a few too many times on some trade issues, and Hunsicker was not happy. I actually met Hunsicker once in Round Rock, and I believe Nolan Ryan also liked him. Possibly Purpura inherited a bad situation with the Astros, but certainly at one time he had a good reputation as a player development person.

To my thinking Purpura is kind of a good news, bad news baseball management person, and I would have no difficulty yielding to Daniels’ and Ryan’s judgment on hiring him.

by Philar on Nov 29, 2011 12:25 PM CST reply actions