J. P. Ricciardi
J. P. Ricciardi | |
---|---|
Born | Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. | September 26, 1959
Occupation | Major League Baseball executive |
Employer | San Francisco Giants |
Known for | Baseball |
John Paul Ricciardi (born September 26, 1959) is an American Major League Baseball executive currently serving as a special advisor to the president of baseball operations with the San Francisco Giants.[1] He previously served as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to 2009.
Early life and career
Ricciardi went to and played
After the conclusion of his playing career, Ricciardi became a coach in the New York Yankees farm system in the early 1980s before joining the Oakland Athletics organization in 1986 as a minor league instructor and scout. By the early 1990s he had risen to the rank of East Coast scouting supervisor and later national crosschecker. Ricciardi made his break into the front office in 1996, when he became special assistant to Athletics general manager Sandy Alderson. Under new general manager Billy Beane, who was hired in 1997 and had been Ricciardi's former teammate with the Little Falls Mets,[3] his role became director of player personnel.
Toronto Blue Jays
Impressed by the success Ricciardi and Beane were having with the low-budget Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays, who sought to cut payroll while becoming more competitive after their acquisition by Canadian media giant Rogers Communications, sought Ricciardi's services after firing then-general manager Gord Ash.[citation needed] During his tenure, the Blue Jays never made the playoffs, coming closest in 2006, when they finished second in their division.[4]
2001-2004
On November 14, 2001, Ricciardi was hired as general manager of the Blue Jays. He signed a five-year contract with Toronto after the 2002 season, which was extended to 2010 after the 2005 season.
After arriving in Toronto, one of Ricciardi's first deals was to send hard-throwing reliever
Ricciardi's arrival in Toronto had been greeted with great optimism and enthusiasm after the team had suffered through several disappointing seasons. The enthusiasm steadily waned, however, as the team repeatedly failed to qualify for the postseason.
2005
Ricciardi was given more freedom to move after Blue Jays owner
2006
After the 2005 season (in which the Blue Jays posted an 80–82 record), Ricciardi began working to improve Toronto's pitching, signing free agent starter
2007
Seeking to upgrade the everyday lineup as well, Ricciardi signed a two-year contract with experienced slugger and designated hitter
During spring training of 2007,
2008
Despite the lack of hitting on his 2008 ball club, Ricciardi had assembled one of the more effective pitching staffs in Major League Baseball, bolstered by bullpen pick-ups such as Scott Downs, Brian Tallet, Jesse Carlson, and Shawn Camp. Over the season, the team had the best ERA in baseball at 3.49 and the bullpen ERA of 2.94.[7] Early in the season, the Jays struggled, and the team fired manager John Gibbons, replacing him with former manager Cito Gaston.[8] Toronto ended the season on a high note, finishing with a final record of 86 wins and 76 losses, the organization's third-best showing since the 1993 season.
In the middle of June 2008, with the Jays in last place in the American League East, Ricciardi appeared on local Toronto sports radio station The FAN 590, in which he fielded questions from fans. One fan insisted that the Jays should actively seek to acquire Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, to which Ricciardi responded with very negative personal comments about Dunn's passion for the game of baseball:
Do you know the guy doesn't really like baseball that much? Do you know the guy doesn't have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player? There's a reason why you're attracted to some players and there's a reason why you're not attracted to some players. I don't think you'd be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here ... We've done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there's a reason why we don't want Adam Dunn. I don't want to get into specifics.[9]
On June 24, 2008, Ricciardi told Toronto media that he received a personal phone call from Dunn and personally apologized for the ad-lib comments, a conversation Dunn vehemently refuted in an interview with MLB.com.[10] Some again questioned Ricciardi's trustworthiness, but Ricciardi said, "All I know is the person I talked to said it was Adam Dunn. That's quite a prank to pull."[citation needed]
2009
During Roy Halladay's last home start of the 2009 season on September 25, a sign in the 500 level stating "Fire JP!" was hung over the railing. The sign was taken away by security at the bottom of the 2nd inning.[11]
With two games remaining in what was a disappointing 2009 season, Ricciardi was fired on October 3, 2009. The day before Blue Jays players had gone public with criticism over Gaston's managing style, and had asked for a meeting with team president Paul Beeston.[4] His firing was widely expected.[4] Ricciardi was replaced by assistant vice-president of baseball operations and assistant general manager, Alex Anthopoulos.[12] Anthopoulos was eventually made the permanent general manager for the Jays.
New York Mets
Ricciardi joined the Mets front office in November 2010.[13]
From 2011 to 2018 Ricciardi served as special assistant to former New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson.[14] In July 2018 Alderson took a leave of absence from the Mets due to a recurrence of cancer. Ricciardi along with John Ricco and Omar Minaya assumed the responsibilities of general manager.[15] Ricciardi and the Mets mutually parted ways after the 2018 season.[16]
San Francisco Giants
In December 2018, Ricciardi was hired by the San Francisco Giants as a senior adviser of baseball operations.[1]
Television career
On February 25, 2010, ESPN announced that Ricciardi would join Baseball Tonight as an analyst after spending three decades in Major League Baseball.[17]
Ricciardi left ESPN to join the Mets front office in November 2010.[13]
Personal life
Ricciardi is married and lives with his family in West Boylston, Massachusetts. He and his wife Diane have two sons, Dante and Mariano. He also has a brother, Stephan Ricciardi, and sister, Mary Sivo.
Ricciardi's son Dante was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 39th round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft from Worcester Academy.
Ricciardi's father, John, was an outstanding athlete at
Ricciardi is also a fan of the Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics.
Executive career
Season | Team | League | Position | W | L | GB | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 78 | 84 | 25.5 | 3rd |
2003 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 86 | 76 | 15.0 | 3rd |
2004 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 67 | 94 | 33.5 | 5th |
2005 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 80 | 82 | 15.0 | 3rd |
2006 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 87 | 75 | 10.0 | 2nd |
2007 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 83 | 79 | 13.0 | 3rd |
2008 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 86 | 76 | 11.0 | 4th |
2009 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | General manager | 75 | 87 | 28.0 | 4th |
References
- ^ a b Klopfer, Brady (December 3, 2018). "J.P. Ricciardi to join the Giants as a senior adviser". McCovey Chronicles.
- ^ "The Baseball Cube J.P. Ricciardi". Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ "The Baseball Cube Little Falls Mets". Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ a b c "Blue Jays fire GM Ricciardi". ESPN. Associated Press. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ DiManno, Rosie (11 March 2011). "DiManno: Jays' Ricky Romero goes from draft 'bust' to staff ace". Toronto Star. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ Damned lies and J.P. - Jim Lang - Sportsnet.ca Archived 2007-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "2018 MLB Team Batting Stats - Major League Baseball - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Blue Jays fire John Gibbons, hire Cito Gaston". The Canadian Press. CTV News. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Dunn denies phone call with Ricciardi - MLB.com: News". Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Doc dominates M's in possible home finale - Sportsnet.ca". Archived from the original on 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ^ Blue Jays Announce That Ricciardi Is Leaving Club Immediately TSN. Accessed on October 3, 2009.
- ^ a b DeLessio, Joe. "The Mets Hire J.P. Ricciardi". The Sports Section. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Rubin, Adam (2 November 2010). "Mets hire ESPN's J.P. Ricciardi". ESPNNewYork.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- ^ Kussoy, Howie (June 26, 2018). "Sandy Alderson is taking leave to battle cancer recurrence".
- ^ "Mets, Ricciardi mutually agree to part ways". MLB.com.
- ^ "Ex-Jays GM Ricciardi joins 'Baseball Tonight'". ESPN.com. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2019.