Danny Haas joins the Washington Nationals’ front office after “spending the past five seasons (2019-2023) as a special assignment scout at the University of Arizona.” diamondbacksAnd before that, the club said in a press release that the new vice president of amateur scouting in the capital “worked for…” baltimore orioles (2012-18), first as National Crosschecker (2012-14) and then promoted to Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations (2015-18). ”
Haas said one of the main factors in his decision to join the Nationals was working with Mike Rizzo, the general manager and head of baseball operations in Washington, D.C., with whom he has a long relationship.
“It was always like a personal dream. I’ve known him since 1997, when I was 22 years old,” Haas explained.
“I played with some of the players he signed. And he actually tried to get me into the D-backs when I was on the team. red sox.
“So the connection goes back to my dad and stuff like that, I’ve known him for a long time.
“I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s accomplished with the D-backs and the Nats, and I’m looking forward to the challenge here.”
“I think it’s humbling and exciting,” Lizzo said of Haas’ comments about wanting the opportunity to work together.
“If we can bring in someone with his skill set and in-game reputation who is as sought after as he is, he will be here because of the way we approach our business. I’m glad that you felt so strongly about this.”
Haas, who was drafted in the 18th round by Boston in 1997 and played five seasons in the minors, said his history with Rizzo began when he was a Red Sox scout.
The first time he met Rizzo was probably at a Midwest League Low-A baseball game, he said. He was there with his son, so I gave him a bat and some balls. [Rizzo] He was a Red Sox scout and I was a Red Sox minor league player. So I think it’s definitely going to be Battle Creek, Michigan. ”
What did he think Rizzo’s scouting report about him would be?
“Yeah, he couldn’t do that – I hope he thinks I’m a better scout than he was when I was a player, for sure.”
Haas will be taking over at the end of 2023 and is already looking forward to his first draft with his new club.
“We are very collaborative, and this job is certainly much more than one person.
“So you have to weigh all your voices. At the end of the day, someone has to make the call. But it’s a big process with a lot of input from a lot of people.”
Rizzo, who in the past has often made the final decisions, admitted that he has accepted that he has to take a step back and let others do the work.
“Well, I didn’t want them to interfere with my drafts. So I don’t interfere much with these drafts.”
It lived up to Haas’ expectations.
“It was great. Everything just fell into place,” he said after Day 1 of the 2024 draft.
The day before the draft, Rizzo signed a deal with the Kansas City Royals to add a competitive balance pick (39th overall), which the Nationals used after selecting shortstop Seaver King with the top pick. Designated catcher Caleb Lomavita (10th overall in 1st round).
“It was great. [Rizzo] They have done a great job of acquiring additional resources,” Haas said.
“He has been a huge support throughout all of this by speaking up and providing input at key times, and without a doubt, his appointment will definitely increase our income. I did.”
“Christmas came early,” joked Reid Dunn, Nationals assistant director and national cross-checker of amateur scouting.
The Nationals selected Luke Dickerson with the 49th pick of the second round, and Haas spoke at the end of the first day about his strategy for his first draft with the club.
“What all three have in common today is that they’re athletic, skilled players with positive aspects of their performance,” Haas said of the top three picks. “They’ve always played hard in our opinion, and they’ve shown signs of adjusting.”
“We’ve been tracking them all year long,” Dunn added.
“Above the midfield, players with high athleticism and upside were key. And we feel like we were able to identify them really early, keep them, and get three in the draft. .”
“See you later,” interjected Brad Cholek, senior director of amateur scouting. “…the underlying theme here is that all three have made great strides from last year to this platform year. We obviously looked at their history extensively and looked at what needs to be improved. And this spring, all three of us answered the bell, and we felt really confident in our process and the results were good. , and finally at the end of the night 3 I was overjoyed to be able to finish with everyone.”
