Tigers Announce Scouting And Analytics Staff Additions To Baseball Operations Department
DETROIT – The Tigers today announced several staff additions to the club's baseball operations department.
The Tigers have hired Jim Elliott, Paul Mirocke and Don Kelly as Major League Scouts. The organization has also expanded its analytics department by hiring Danny Vargovick, Drew Jordan and Shane Piesik as Analysts in Baseball Operations. In addition, Sam Menzin, who previously served as Director of Baseball Operations, will now assume the role of Director of Baseball Operations and Professional Scouting. Also, Jeff Weatherby has moved from Major League Scouting to International Scouting.
"Today's announcement is another step in the building of our infrastructure within baseball operations," said Al Avila, Tigers Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. "Growth in the analytics area is key in our goal of making sound, informed baseball decisions both when evaluating players, and in providing data to the big league players, manager and his coaching staff. The additions in scouting are important for us in our search for impact type players to bring into our organization."
Elliott joins the Tigers organization after spending the previous seven seasons as a Professional Scout in the San Diego Padres organization. Prior to his time with the Padres, Elliott spent 12 years as a Scout with the MLB Scouting Bureau.
Mirocke spent the 2017 season as a scout in the Milwaukee Brewers organization and had responsibilities with professional, amateur and international scouting. Before joining the Brewers, Mirocke spent 26 years at the MLB Scouting Bureau, including the final 14 as Professional Scouting Coordinator.
After playing nine seasons in the Major Leagues, including six with the Tigers, Kelly joined the Tigers front office prior to the 2017 season, working in both Player Development and Scouting. Kelly will transition into a full-time Major League Scout role moving forward with the organization.