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 is the president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team in Major League Baseball (MLB). 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 playoffs and played in the 2008 World Series for the first time ever. Since joining the Dodgers after the 2014 season, Friedman has helped them win two World Series titles (in 2020 and 2024). They have also won four pennants and eight division titles. Many people in baseball see the Dodgers as a top team under Friedman's leadership.
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Andrew Friedman's Early Life and Education
Friedman was born in Houston, Texas. He is Jewish. His father, J. Kent Friedman, was a lawyer who played college baseball. Andrew played baseball as a center fielder and leadoff hitter for Episcopal High School in Houston.
He then went to Tulane University on a baseball scholarship. He played center field for the Green Wave team. During his time there, he had two injuries: a broken left hand and a separated left shoulder. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in management, focusing on finance.
After college, Friedman worked as an analyst for Bear Stearns from 1999 to 2002. He then worked at MidMark Capital, a private equity firm, from 2002 to 2004.
Andrew Friedman is married to Robin, and they have three children. They live in Pasadena, California.
Baseball Career Highlights
Starting with the Tampa Bay Rays
In 2003, Friedman met Stuart Sternberg, who was the new owner of the Tampa Bay Rays. They found they had similar ideas about how to build a baseball team.
From 2004 to 2005, Friedman worked as the director of baseball development for the Rays. After the 2005 season, when he was only 28 years old, he became the executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager. He replaced Chuck LaMar, who was fired after the team had eight losing seasons in a row.
Friedman slowly rebuilt the team. His hard work paid off in 2008 when the Rays reached the postseason for the first time. They even made it all the way to the 2008 World Series. For this success, he was named Baseball Executive of the Year by Sporting News. Under his leadership, the Rays also made the playoffs in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
Leading the Los Angeles Dodgers
On October 14, 2014, Andrew Friedman left the Rays to become the President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His contract was for five years and was worth a lot of money, making him one of the highest-paid executives in baseball. When he joined the Dodgers, team president Stan Kasten called him "one of the youngest and brightest minds in the game today."
Friedman brought in other talented people to work with him. He hired Farhan Zaidi as the Dodgers' new general manager and Josh Byrnes as vice president of baseball operations. This created a very strong front office team.
In his first off-season with the Dodgers, Friedman made big changes. The Dodgers traded away several key players like Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon. But they also added important new players such as Yasmani Grandal, Howie Kendrick, and Jimmy Rollins. Friedman helped the Dodgers win their third straight National League West division title in 2015. However, they lost to the New York Mets in the playoffs that year.
After the 2015 season, the Dodgers had to pay a record luxury tax because their team payroll was very high. The Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly decided to part ways. Friedman then hired former Dodgers outfielder Dave Roberts as the new manager. Star pitcher Zack Greinke left the Dodgers, but Friedman signed other pitchers like Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda. In 2016, the Dodgers won their fourth straight division title. They won their first playoff series but then lost to the Chicago Cubs.
In 2017, the Dodgers did not spend a lot of money on new players. Instead, they re-signed their own important players like Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen, and Justin Turner. The team had an amazing season, winning 44 out of 51 games at one point. Friedman also made trades to get pitchers Yu Darvish and Tony Watson. The Dodgers won their fifth straight division title and made it to the 2017 World Series for the first time since 1988. They lost to the Houston Astros in seven games. Baseball America named the Dodgers their 2017 Organization of the Year.
In 2018, the Dodgers started slowly but still won their sixth straight division title. Friedman traded for Manny Machado to help the team after Corey Seager got injured. The Dodgers won their second straight National League pennant but lost in the 2018 World Series to the Boston Red Sox.
In 2019, the Dodgers won their seventh straight division title, and fourth under Friedman. They won a team record 106 games but lost to the Washington Nationals in the playoffs. Before the 2020 season, Friedman and the Dodgers traded for All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts. They also signed Betts to a very large contract. The 2020 season was shorter because of COVID-19. The Dodgers went 43-17 and then won their first 2020 World Series in 32 years. They beat Friedman's old team, the Tampa Bay Rays. Friedman was named the MLB Executive of the Year. Baseball America also named him Executive of the Year. From 2021 to 2023, the Dodgers continued to do well in the regular season but lost early in the playoffs.
Before the 2024 season, Friedman and the Dodgers signed two-way star Shohei Ohtani to a record contract. They also signed Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. They traded for All-Star pitcher Tyler Glasnow. In 2024, Ohtani won the National League MVP award. He also became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. The Dodgers won their eighth World Series in team history, and their second in the 2020s.
Much of the Dodgers' success under Friedman has come from players they developed themselves. These include players like Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson, and pitchers Julio Urias and Walker Buehler. The Dodgers' system for developing young players is often ranked among the best in baseball. When Friedman has traded young players, he has used that flexibility to get experienced stars like Mookie Betts and Yu Darvish.
Developing Baseball Leaders
Andrew Friedman has helped many people become successful baseball executives and coaches. Some of these executives include:
- Chaim Bloom, who worked for the Boston Red Sox and will be the President of Baseball Operations for the St. Louis Cardinals.
- James Click, who was the general manager of the Houston Astros.
- Alex Anthopoulos, who is the general manager for the Atlanta Braves.
- Farhan Zaidi, who was the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants.
- Erik Neander, who is the general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Peter Bendix, who is the president of baseball operations for the Miami Marlins.
Managers and coaches who have worked with Friedman include:
- Dave Roberts, the Dodgers' manager since 2016.
- Joe Maddon, who managed the Rays when Friedman was there.
- Dave Martinez, the manager of the Washington Nationals.
- Rocco Baldelli, who is the manager of the Minnesota Twins.
- Gabe Kapler, a former manager for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants.
In 2020 and 2021, the top four teams in the playoffs were all led by executives who had worked under Friedman at some point.
