The Detroit Tigers on Monday hired Scott Harris as their new president of baseball operations.
Harris, 36, was in the process of completing his third season as general manager of the San Francisco Giants.
“This is an exciting day for me and my family, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead baseball operations for the Detroit Tigers,” Harris said in a statement. “The Tigers have a rich history and tradition as a charter member of the American League, and I can’t wait to get to work on the next chapter of Tigers baseball.”
San Francisco set a franchise record for victories (107) last season when it won the National League West but is a substandard 69-77 entering Monday’s road game against the Colorado Rockies.
Harris, who attended UCLA and is a Redwood City, Calif., native, spent seven years in the Chicago Cubs’ organization before becoming GM of the Giants. He served multiple roles for the Cubs under the reign of Theo Epstein, while earning a master’s degree in business administration at Northwestern.
“Throughout this extensive search process, we were determined to find the best person to run our baseball operations,” Tigers CEO and chairman Chris Ilitch said in a statement. “Scott’s vision for how to construct a baseball organization to compete and win in the modern game is impressive. His leadership ability is polished from both his experience as an executive at multiple levels and mentorship from some of the game’s most talented baseball operations leaders.
“Scott is a difference maker, innovator and fiercely competitive, always looking for an edge.”
Detroit fired general manager and president of baseball operations Al Avila last month after he served parts of eight seasons.
The Tigers (55-91) are in last place in the American League Central entering Monday’s road game against the Baltimore Orioles.
–Field Level Media
