Andrew Friedman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Andrew Friedman |
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Friedman in 2011
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| Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| President of Baseball Operations | |
| Born: Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Andrew Friedman is an American professional baseball executive. He helps run baseball teams. Currently, he is the president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This means he makes big decisions about the team's players and future.
Before joining the Dodgers, he was the general manager for the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2008, Sporting News named him their Executive of the Year. That year, the Rays made it to the World Series for the first time ever.
With the Dodgers, Andrew Friedman has led the team to great success. As of 2024, they have won two World Series championships. They also won four pennants and eight division titles. Many people in baseball see the Dodgers as a top team under his leadership.
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Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Andrew Friedman was born in Houston, Texas. His father played college baseball. Andrew loved baseball too. He played as a center fielder in high school. He was often the first batter in the lineup.
He earned a baseball scholarship to Tulane University. He continued to play center field there. But injuries kept him from playing much. He broke his hand and hurt his shoulder. Even with injuries, he finished college in 1999. He earned a degree in management and finance.
After college, Andrew worked in finance for a few years. He worked as an analyst and then at a private equity firm. He and his wife, Robin, live in Pasadena, California. They have three children.
Career in Baseball Management
Building the Tampa Bay Rays
In 2003, Andrew Friedman met Stuart Sternberg. Sternberg was the new owner of the Tampa Bay Rays. They both had similar ideas about how to build a winning baseball team. They decided to work together.
Friedman started with the Rays in 2004. He was the director of baseball development. This meant he helped find and train new players. In 2005, at just 28 years old, he became the general manager. The Rays had been losing for many years.
Andrew slowly rebuilt the team. His hard work paid off in 2008. The Rays made it to the playoffs for the first time. They even reached the World Series that year. For this success, he was named Baseball Executive of the Year. The Rays also made the playoffs in 2010, 2011, and 2013 under his leadership.
Leading the Los Angeles Dodgers
In October 2014, Andrew Friedman left the Rays. He became the President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was a big move. His contract was worth a lot of money. It made him one of the highest-paid executives in baseball.
When he joined the Dodgers, he brought in new people. He hired Farhan Zaidi as the general manager. He also brought in Josh Byrnes. These new hires created a very strong team of baseball leaders.
In his first year, Friedman made big changes. The Dodgers traded away some well-known players. But they also brought in new talent. They added players like Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick. These changes helped the Dodgers win their third straight division title in 2015.
After the 2015 season, the Dodgers changed managers. Friedman hired former Dodgers player Dave Roberts. The team continued to do well. They won their fourth straight division title in 2016. They made it deep into the playoffs.
In 2017, the Dodgers had an amazing season. They won 44 out of 51 games at one point. Friedman made more trades to make the team even stronger. They reached the World Series for the first time since 1988. They lost to the Houston Astros, who were later found to have cheated.
The Dodgers kept winning division titles. They won their sixth straight in 2018. They reached the World Series again but lost to the Boston Red Sox. In 2019, they won a franchise record 106 games. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Before the 2020 season, Friedman made a huge trade. He brought in All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts. He also signed Betts to a very long contract. The 2020 season was shorter due to COVID-19. But the Dodgers played great. They won their first World Series in 32 years. They beat Andrew's old team, the Tampa Bay Rays. He was named the MLB Executive of the Year Award.
The Dodgers continued their success from 2021 to 2023. They won many regular-season games. But they didn't win the World Series those years.
In 2024, Friedman made more big moves. He signed two-way star Shohei Ohtani. This was a record-breaking contract. He also signed Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The team also added outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and pitcher Tyler Glasnow.
These new players helped the Dodgers win another World Series in 2024. Ohtani had an amazing season. He became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. This was the Dodgers' eighth World Series title.
A big reason for the Dodgers' success is their young players. Friedman has kept many talented young players. He has also built one of the best farm systems in baseball. This means the Dodgers have many good players coming up through their minor league teams. When he does trade young players, he often gets big-name stars in return.
Developing Future Baseball Leaders
Andrew Friedman has helped many people grow in baseball. Many executives and coaches who worked for him have gone on to lead other teams. This is sometimes called a "management tree."
Some of these leaders include:
- Chaim Bloom, who used to be a top executive for the Boston Red Sox.
- James Click, who was the general manager for the Houston Astros.
- Alex Anthopoulos, who leads the Atlanta Braves.
- Farhan Zaidi, who used to lead the San Francisco Giants.
- Erik Neander, who is now the general manager for the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Peter Bendix, who leads the Miami Marlins.
Many managers and coaches also learned from Friedman:
- Dave Roberts, the current Dodgers manager.
- Joe Maddon, who managed the Rays when Friedman was there.
- Dave Martinez, the manager of the Washington Nationals.
- Rocco Baldelli, the manager of the Minnesota Twins.
- Gabe Kapler, a former manager for the Phillies and Giants.
In 2020 and 2021, the top executives for all four teams that made it to the final round of the playoffs had worked for Friedman at some point. This shows his big influence in baseball.
