Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was named Executive of the Year by Baseball America. To no surprise, the publication additionally selected the Dodgers as their Organization of the Year.
Friedman previously was voted 2020 MLB Executive of the Year, becoming the third-ever recipient of the honor. MLB’s Executive of the Year Award was voted on by all 30 clubs prior to the start of the postseason.
Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics won the award in its inaugural year (after the 2018 season), and Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander received it last season.
Baseball America’s Executive of the Year honor has been in place since 2006. Friedman is the Dodgers’ first member to receive it, and overall he’s the third in a row to have earned the award in the same season his team won the World Series.
The Dodgers boast a .606 winning percentage (528-343) through Friedman’s six seasons overseeing the team, and they have not only put together a juggernaut at the Major League level, but also maintained a top farm system.
Friedman has garnered personal recognition after assembling a Dodgers roster that finished with the best record (43-17) in baseball and won an eighth consecutive National League West title. Only the Atlanta Braves (14, 1991-2005) and New York Yankees (nine, 1998-2006) have longer reigns over a division in MLB history.
The Dodgers led the Majors this past season with 118 home runs, 349 runs scored, a plus-136 run differential, 3.02 team ERA, 1.06 WHIP and .213 opponents’ batting average. They became the 10th team since the World Series era began in 1903 with a run differential greater than 100 through 40 games.
Including L.A., all 10 of those clubs went on to reach the World Series and eight won it.
Friedman maintaining opportunistic approach
There was little rest for the champions as the morning after the World Series, the Dodgers had seven players become free agents: Pedro Baez, Kiké Hernandez, Jake McGee, Joc Pederson, Blake Treinen, Justin Turner and Alex Wood. Jimmy Nelson joined the group when the Dodgers declined their team option.
L.A. has been linked to a potential Nolan Arenado trade, though it’s widely believed the more likely scenario is re-signing Turner. No matter how it unfolds, Friedman said the Dodgers will keep an open mind and explore all possibilities to improve the roster.
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