It is always common to hear that someone is a well-respected baseball person from an anonymous source after they get hired. It is another thing to hear that coming from a World Series winning manager. Joel Sherman of the NY Post detailed the relationship between Brodie Van Wagenen and A.J. Hinch.
Back when the two were freshmen baseball players in Stanford, Hinch tragically lost his father right as their season began. While Hinch left the team to be with his family, Van Wagenen wore Hinch’s belt out of respect to his teammate. He hit his first home run, a grand slam, with that belt on and presented that ball to Hinch, a ball he still has to this day.
The two became very close friends and even became roommates after their first year. Brodie was even the best man at Hinch’s wedding and Van Wagenen negotiated Hinch’s four-year extension back in August.
Hinch (admitting his bias) spoke very highly about Brodie’s intelligence and also added “He can command a room. Media will see it and the organization will feel it. He has a leadership quality that you can’t quite measure. He is a good decision-maker. One thing Brodie has been trained at the last 20 years [as an agent] is decision-making.”
The Astros’ manager went as far as to explain that Van Wagenen should have no problems adjusting to his new job.
“He has been in the industry, he is equipped [for the GM job]. He will be able to block out the noise and do the job. One thing Brodie knows is what he doesn’t know. He is not going to be something he’s not.”
So far, Brodie has said all the right things and getting this kind of an endorsement from a person like Hinch is definitely a great sign. I’m excited to see what Van Wagenen can bring to this team and it definitely seems like he will carry the title of general manager with class. I truly hope BVW can be the Mets GM for the next decade or longer.
