“Very solid hire.”
That from an anonymous source within the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, reacting to the New York Mets’ choice of Jared Porter to be their new general manager.
It is also music to any Mets fans’ ears after navigating through two seasons of Porter’s predecessor, Brodie Van Wagenen, who never seemed to get any traction in New York after the Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz and Jarred Kelenic trade (or fiasco, as some put it).
Jared Porter, 41, has extensive major league experience, from interning for the Boston Red Sox in 2004, to his most recent stint as the assistant GM of the Diamondbacks. He has also worked for the Chicago Cubs. Porter has worked in MLB a total of 13 years and has been part of four championship teams, three under the tutelage of Theo Epstein.
“Mets got it right,” former D-backs pitcher Dan Haren tweeted. “He’s the man.”
Porter’s forte seems to be in scouting and he is known as a shrewd evaluator of talent. He is also well-liked throughout baseball with one executive who worked with him, citing Porter as “a great, great human.”
Peter Gammons, long-time baseball contributor and highly respected journalist, chimed in noting, “Jared Porter is a superb evaluator, smart, (and) an extraordinary people person.”
Shrewd indeed, as he once convinced the Red Sox to sign Daniel Nava, who was at the time languishing in the Golden Baseball League. The Sox agreed and paid $1.00 for his rights. Nava spent 2010 then 2012-2015 for the Sox and was part of the 2013 championship team.
An agent, who also wished to remain anonymous, called Porter “unreal…the Mets got a stud.”
“He checks all the boxes.”
Allard Baird, the former assistant GM of the Mets and cohort of Porter’s in the Red Sox front office, was effusive in his praise. He told Mike Puma of the New York Post: “He’s got a strong executive presence with a compassion for people. I think that will really stand out.”
“He will have an ability to manage up very well with a real commitment of organization above one’s self. He has an appreciation for both the subjective and objective analytic aspect in evaluations. He appreciates both. And he’s got a very good network to draw from in terms of adding talent in both scouting and the analytic department, because I know he believes in both of those.”
“[Porter] is going to be very aggressive, but he’s a very good listener.”
“I would personally walk through a wall for him,” said another Diamondback who worked with Porter.
Perhaps this devotion and affection towards Porter from his former co-workers can be gleaned from some of Porter’s past statements about himself and his career.
Speaking on the “Executive Access” podcast last year, Porter called a GM job “the pinnacle of our profession,” saying he “would love that opportunity someday” while acknowledging the difficulty of landing a GM job.
“You have to dominate the job that you’re in,” Porter said. “If you do that, if you focus on that and dominate that, you’re going to get other opportunities. So that’s kind of what I live by, is just dominate the job that I’m in.”
In 2019, Porter was interviewed by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. His brightness, wit and people skills were all on display during the segment. Porter noted upon being hired and then promoted by the Diamondbacks:
“I’ve never been more excited about working somewhere. I’ve never been more determined and focused to make a team and an organization better. There are great people here that we work with, throughout the organization…But the focus on my end is singularly on the Diamondbacks, how do we make it better here, how do we win, how do we get back to October baseball. The other stuff doesn’t mean anything at this point. I’m just really excited to work here every day.”
Though speaking as a Diamondback executive, it is clear that Porter has a burning passion for baseball and takes his job very seriously. When he is introduced to the New York media, it is likely he will utter even more passionate words about achieving this “pinnacle.”
“His scouting analysis is through the roof,” said another anonymous baseball agent.
It is clear that Jared Porter is a young, hard-working, highly respected and popular individual. He is well-liked by players, agents and fellow executives alike and has a charisma that should serve him well in New York.
His ability to scout may be his most astounding asset in a bucket-full of fine qualities. Baird’s comment about his ability to “listen” is also an admirable trait often lost in the maze of communication.
The reaction to his hiring by the Mets has been decidedly favorable throughout baseball, with tweets and other reactions not spewing a negative thought. In the span of 24 hours, the Mets have filled holes behind the plate with their new catcher and behind the scenes with their new GM. The franchise is clearly striving for excellence. The new GM should be an integral part of their success.
