July 4, 2008
Evans continues grooming talent
Former GM helping players find success in Major Leagues
When I reached Dan Evans by telephone on the Fourth of July holiday, he said he was just beginning a busy day.
"You reached me just as I was doing the laundry," said Evans. He said it with some sense of joy because most of his summer holidays have been spent at a Major League Baseball stadium. And quite often that has been far from home and a basic chore such as the laundry.
Evans said there were some fun things to do after the laundry and one of the assignments was to watch his youngest daughter, Andie (14), compete in a district softball tournament.
Evans is 48 years old and in his 28th season involved with professional baseball. That being said, he now finds himself on a different side of the baseball planet as the president and CEO of West Coast Sports Management LLC in Pasadena, Calif.
Representing and guiding professional baseball players is not a role that Evans had envisioned for himself as he had built his career working for Major League teams.
"I had no thought of being on this side of the business until I was approached by the owners of the West Coast Sports Management group last year," said Evans.
At the time, Evans was in his third year with the Seattle Mariners as the special assistant to general manager Bill Bavasi. A position that followed a four-year term as the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and two decades with the Chicago White Sox.
Evans admits his dream job was to become a general manager and he left the Chicago White Sox when the GM position went to Kenny Williams. He received his chance to serve as a general manager with the Dodgers, accomplished some noteworthy things, and then found himself without a job when there was a change in Dodgers ownership.
Evans still is a young man, but as he examines what is happening in the game he loves, he realizes that general managers and top baseball executives are given only a short time frame to do their jobs and the pressures and demands of the positions are greater than ever.
"There was a time last year when I was with the Mariners that I was in 13 cities in 15 days." recalled Evans. "It was about this time of the year, as we had just finished the free-agent Draft and we were looking to the trading deadline.
"I realized that my family life was moving on without me. My daughters were at important stages with their schools and activities and I wasn't able to be a part of that with the demands of my job."
I thought about Evans and his life today when I took note of the recent developments of Bavasi being fired in Seattle and Houston GM Ed Wade being immersed in a major controversy in Houston related to a dispute with a player.
After all, Evans was a great friend and key assistant to Bavasi and he had interviewed for the Houston job, and was a serious candidate before Wade was hired.
If there are regrets about leaving the Major League management side of the business, you won't find it in any of the feelings being expressed by Evans today.
"The role of the general manager has changed drastically in my time in the game, particularly in recent years," said Evans. "There are tremendous pressures to win now and the competition is even greater due to the Wild Card and middle market teams being in the mix of the races. Most general managers don't get the time to build for the future, and when the GM position changes, everything in the system has a way of changing about how a team does business from a scouting and player development standpoint."
"You have a sense of satisfaction when you see players you have been involved with have success at the Major League level."
-- Former Dodgers GM Dan Evans
Evans said he would "never say never" to the opportunity to return to the position of general manager, but acknowledges that his role with West Coast Sports Management is, "ideal for me and for my family."
Evans' office in Pasadena is an easy drive from his home in La Canada, Calif., and in a short time on the job -- since last November -- he has helped his company develop a strong presence in the player management field.
West Coast Sports Management is in its eighth year of operation and has a 10,000 square foot advanced training and education facility as part of its office structure.
The firm advised seven of the top 100 players selected in the recent First-Year Player Draft, including Aaron Hicks, who was the first-round selection of the Minnesota Twins. Hicks signed with the Twins in relative short order and Evans said this is part of his company's philosophy.
"We understand that it is important for players to get into the system of the team that drafts them. I thought this was true when I was working for a team, and this remains true as one involved in representing players," said Evans.
While Evans said he now has more time for family matters, he admits his job is still seven days a week for the most part.
"You simply get used to that schedule when you are involved in baseball," said Evans.
The company now has a number of players at the Major League level, including ace pitcher Edinson Volquez of the Cincinnati Reds.
"One of the key members of our staff is Len Strelitz, the former scouting director for the Texas Rangers, and he has been instrumental in our relationship with Volquez," said Evans.
The company also has a presence in Latin America in the person of Felix Olivo.
"When you look at the signings of players from Latin America just this week, you realize the baseball landscape has changed forever," Evans said. "The dollars that were spent by a number of teams, including Oakland and San Diego, are part of a changing picture."
Evans has encouraged his company to have more of a presence with seats at both Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium as part of a way of increasing exposure.
One of Evans' key hires in his Dodgers days was scouting director Logan White, and the former GM admits he takes a great deal of pleasure in going to Dodger Stadium and seeing players such as Russell Martin, James Loney, Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton.
"You have a sense of satisfaction when you see players you have been involved with have success at the Major League level," said Evans.
Fred Claire was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1969-98, serving the team as executive vice-president and general manager. His book -- Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue -- was published by SportsPublishingLLC. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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