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November 27, 2011

Orioles hire Gary Rajsich as amateur scouting director

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette has made his first key addition to his front office, hiring Toronto Blue Jays’ professional crosschecker Gary Rajsich to be the Orioles’ new amateur scouting director, according to an industry source.

Rajsich, 57, has been with the Blue Jays since 2009 but spent most of his scouting career with the Boston Red Sox, where he worked with Duquette.

The Orioles have not announced the deal yet, but Rajsich has accepted the job and tendered his resignation to the Blue Jays.

A former major league first baseman, Rajsich played parts of four seasons with the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants from 1982-1985

He will be replacing Joe Jordan, who left the Orioles’ post earlier this offseason to join the Philadelphia Phillies.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Comments

Happy with the move. We should continue to poach the Blue Jays organization for front office, player development, and scouting talent.

Posted by: Pat | November 27, 2011 7:52 PM

Dan,

I don't know much about Gary Rajsich so I was wondering if you could tell me how he is thought of by his peers?

When do you think the assistant GM job will be filled and are you expecting in house or do you think Dan will pick his own guy from his Boston/Montreal days?

Thanks!
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Todd, I have spoken to a couple people who know Rajsich and have heard real good things. Now, it's unlikley that people would trash him as he takes a new job, but those I have talked to really believe in his ability as a scout. That said, he hasn't been an administrator before so we'll see how that goes. But he does have a good rep within the business. As for filling Klentak's position, Duquette may get creative and use that money for special assistants or something else. I don't necessarily see him hiring a rules/contract specialist.

Posted by: Birdland Todd | November 27, 2011 11:01 PM

Heard Kevin Buck's name kicked around as a possible Klentak replacement. Any truth to that, Dan?

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Not that I've heard

Posted by: Ramon Escalante | November 28, 2011 1:11 PM

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About the bloggers

A Baltimore native, Dan Connolly has been covering sports for 14 years, and baseball and the Orioles for 10 seasons, including the past six with The Sun. His first year covering baseball on a daily basis was Cal Ripken Jr.'s final season as a player. It's believed that is just a coincidence.

Steve Gould is an assistant sports editor for The Sun, overseeing Orioles coverage. The Columbia native joined The Sun as a sports copy editor in 2006 after graduating from the University of Maryland.

Peter Schmuck has been covering baseball for a lot longer than Steve Gould has been on this earth. He is now a general sports columnist, but has been a beat writer covering three major league teams (the Dodgers, Angels and Orioles) and also spent a decade as the Sun's national baseball writer. If you want more of his insight on the Orioles and other sports issues, check out his personal blog -- The Schmuck Stops Here.