Chris Getz has made his first new hires of his GM tenure.
Earlier this week, Scott Merkin reported that the White Sox would hire Josh Barfield to be one of the team’s assistant general managers. Today, the White Sox confirmed this report and the hiring of two other rumored names: Brian Bannister and Gene Watson.
Bennister’s position appears to be a new one created for the ballclub.
Here is what Chris Getz had to say about the new front office additions:
“We are very pleased to add Josh, Brian and Gene to our baseball operations decision-making and leadership group. All three are highly respected baseball executives who bring different backgrounds, accomplishments and points of view to our department Josh is a real rising front-office star, Brian is recognized as one of the top pitching minds in the game, and Gene is acknowledged as one of the best talent evaluators in baseball. I am excited for them to get started working together as we define our new vision for the future and create a path to success for the White Sox organization.”
– White Sox Press Release
Barfield, 40, has been a part of the Diamondbacks organization as early as 2016 as a scout. From there, he worked his way through the system, becoming the Diamondbacks’ Director of Player Development in 2019 – a role that he still holds today. Barfield spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues – one with San Diego, and three with the Guardians. He hit .264/.295/.375 across just over 1,000 plate appearances.
The Diamondbacks have been able to build a top-10 farm system over the past few seasons, with names such as Corbin Carroll, Drew Jones, Alek Thomas, Brandon Pfaadt, Daulton Varsho, and Jordan Lawlar among those who have come through the system through strong drafts.
Bannister, 42, is another former player with a history in the front office. In 2015, Bannister joined the Red Sox in their scouting department, and later that year, he was promoted to director of pitching analysis and development by then-president Dave Dombrowski. He split time in the front office and on the coaching staff until 2019 when the Giants hired him as the team’s director of pitching. Since then, he has been listed as part of the team’s uniformed coaching staff.
Watson is currently serving as the Royals Vice President of Major League Scouting/Assistant GM, a role he has held for the past two seasons. He spent the 2021 season with the Angels as a Senior Advisor to the GM/Major League Operations.
Watson, 54, previously worked for the Royals from 2006-20, first as a Major League Scout from 2006-08, then as the Coordinator of Pro Scouting from 2009-11 and Director of Pro Scouting from 2012-2017. Most recently, he served as the Sr. Director of Pro Scouting/Assistant to the GM from 2018-2020. Before his first stint with the Royals, Watson worked for the Florida Marlins organization, where he was a professional scout covering the American League and National League Central Divisions, as well as the Double-A Texas League for four years, including the Marlins’ 2003 World Series season. He worked with the San Diego Padres beginning in 1997 and then joined the Atlanta Braves in 2000, covering a number of minor leagues, as well as evaluating the top amateur players. He has more than 25 years of experience covering Major League Spring Training, minor league scouting, and has scouted the Dominican, Venezuelan and Mexican winter leagues.
This is a developing article, so we will continue to provide updates.
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Featured Image: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic
