John Coppolella

[The Chosen One]

So many here seem to think he's the next guy because Hart likes him and he's the favorite it appears.

Some of you have any background info on him?

[Dalyn]

Here's an interview -

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/09/gm-candidate-john-coppolella.html

[Hawk]

This is several years old, but still interesting: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=868


Nate (Maryland): How much sabermetrics does the braves organization incorporate into the evaluation process?

John Coppolella: Every decision we make involves sabermetrics to some degree. Veteran scouts like Jim Fregosi and Dom Chiti might not use words like WAR or wOBA when we are discussing players, but the general principles of those statistics apply in every conversation. When we analyzed Michael Bourn those scouts said their eyes told them that he was one of the best defensive players and best baserunners in baseball. That's the same thing the advanced statistics we use here at the Braves told us. Our scouts are often in line with sabermetrics -- even if it's unintentional. Better than that, they are willing to listen to somebody like me drone on about things like BABIP or Line Drive %. We use a mix of both but we are blessed with outstanding scouts.


stydings (NJ): Which trade/FA signing that you were in on are you most proud of?

John Coppolella: Frank involves all of our front office and scouts in all of the major decisions so it's never a case of "we got this player because of this person." I am proud of all the moves we have made, but it's nice to see career minor league players like Constanza or Brooks Conrad get an opportunity here in Atlanta when they were signed as minor league free agents. I'm also proud of some of the guys we have found on the waiver wire, acquiring the likes of Eric O'Flaherty and Cristhian Martinez for $20,000 per claim


Nick (NJ): Hi John -- Thanks for the chat! I'm a few years out of college and have been trying to find a job with a Major League club with absolutely no luck... Are there any suggestions you would have for a job seeker?

John Coppolella: Keep trying. As a freshmen at Notre Dame I wrote to every team in baseball -- Major Leagues and all four single-season minor league affiliates -- 150 in total. I got roughly a dozen responses, all of which were form letters, and that in itself was pretty cool. I kept writing and got lucky. A fellow ND grad named Brent Boznanski was the Director of Operations for the Lake Elsinore Storm, an affiliate of the Anaheim Angels, and he hired me as a non-paid intern in the summer of 1997. I'm grateful to Brent for the opportunity. It led to another internship with the Storm (summer 1998) and an internship with the Angels (summer 1999). The Angels finished in last place that season and many of the people I worked with were fired after the season. I kept writing to teams -- even after securing a job with Intel -- and got a call from the New York Yankees. It was probably the 7th or 8th letter I had sent them in four years. There is a fine line between being persistent and being annoying, but the more shots you take the better chance one rattles in the basket.

[stpeteirish]

yeez a Domer.. I'm in. It would truly be bizarre if the Braves replaced a GM from my hometown (St Pete, Fla) with a guy from by alma mater.

Coppolella looks to be too young for the job.

[Garmel]

Coppolella looks to be too young for the job.

That is a concern but as long as John Hart is there as his adviser he'll be fine.

[50PoundHead]

I worry a bit about guys who are heavily wedded to advanced stats because I think they can be as misleading as the eyeball test. I think a mix of players is always going to be necessary to create the synergy you need to be successful. It sounds like Coppolella is flexible enough to not veer one direction or the other without precluding the value in each approach.

[chipchildress]

****in hell. the guy drones on and on about BABIP. if you'd read some of the comments on this board from an outsider's prospective, you'd think that's the only thing in baseball that ever mattered.

greg maddux wouldn't have lasted two seasons with the braves if the babip freaks were in charge.

[Julio3000]

****in hell. the guy drones on and on about BABIP. if you'd read some of the comments on this board from an outsider's prospective, you'd think that's the only thing in baseball that ever mattered.

greg maddux wouldn't have lasted two seasons with the braves if the babip freaks were in charge.

Yeah, statheads hate guys who don't walk anyone, don't give up HRs, get tons of ground balls, and strike out a respectable amount of batters.

[emk418]

I'm a big fan of Coppolella. He's number one on my list. I'm also nervous that not giving him the role now will lead to him leaving shortly. He's widely thought of as one of if not the most attractive young GM candidate.

[cajunrevenge]

I am a big fan of Hart but if he is GM we likely lose Coppolella so I say give the job to him so we can keep both. With him talking about BABIP so much I wonder how he feels about Chris Johnson.

[dak]

New AJC piece on John C:

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/baseball/the-next-braves-gm-should-be-young-and-brainy/nhSCc/?ecmp=ajc_social_twitter_2014_braves_sfp#4263694f. 3828699.735498

Sounds like his nickname is "Copy". Bobby has gotta love that!

[Enscheff]

****in hell. the guy drones on and on about BABIP. if you'd read some of the comments on this board from an outsider's prospective, you'd think that's the only thing in baseball that ever mattered.

greg maddux wouldn't have lasted two seasons with the braves if the babip freaks were in charge.

Pure and utter stupidity. Look at the advanced stats for Maddux such as ERA+, FIP, and WAR. He would have been considered plenty valuable.

If Maddux was underrated by anyone it was the "scout-heads" because he didn't throw very hard and was pretty small and un-athletic.

[KB21]

I worry a bit about guys who are heavily wedded to advanced stats because I think they can be as misleading as the eyeball test. I think a mix of players is always going to be necessary to create the synergy you need to be successful. It sounds like Coppolella is flexible enough to not veer one direction or the other without precluding the value in each approach.

I agree. Everything I have read about Coppolella says that he is stats savvy but doesn't lose sight of the traditional aspects of scouting. JS talked about him some on the radio tonight, and I have a feeling that he is very clearly the top internal candidate, and may be the top candidate overall. JS said that John will be taking on an increased role alongside John Hart.

[depley]

What I want to see is a guy in this position that has some real contacts and established relationships with other GMs. I don't think Wren had much of that.

[gilesfan]

Well, I'd say that backfired on chipchildress

[DaneHill]

What I want to see is a guy in this position that has some real contacts and established relationships with other GMs. I don't think Wren had much of that.

I had that same sense for some reason. Like other GMs didn't care for him, or didn't like to deal with him. In interviews though, he always came across as a nice guy, so it was an odd sense that I couldn't ever quite put my finger on. Other than that I felt he only had a handful of teams to pool from with a possible trade, and everyone else was an automatic no-go.

[Lville21]

I had that same sense for some reason. Like other GMs didn't care for him, or didn't like to deal with him. In interviews though, he always came across as a nice guy, so it was an odd sense that I couldn't ever quite put my finger on. Other than that I felt he only had a handful of teams to pool from with a possible trade, and everyone else was an automatic no-go.

Wren loved trading with the Cubs.