Apr 10, 1946 (Los Angeles, CA) – May 14, 2020 (Houston, TX) · died at 74
Became the first Black general manager to win a World Series, building the 1996 champion New York Yankees after running the Houston Astros.
5 seasons with salary-era data across 2 stints. All figures are franchise-level outcomes during the tenure, not solely attributable to one executive.
Share of gross-positive acquired fWAR by channel (vs. league average).
Acquired minus surrendered / signed minus walked.
| Team | Role | Years | Szns | WAB | WAB/yr | TAB | WAR surp | HG | Trade | FA | R5 | AcqLev | W-L% | PO | Pen | WS | Surp $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▸ Yankees | GM | 1996–1998 | 3 | +38.8 | +12.92 | +26.0 | -36.9 | +20.1 | -28.7 | +8.1 | +0.8 | 2.40 | 0.621 | 3 | 2 | 2 | -35 |
| ▸ Astros | GM | 1994–1995 | 2 | +11.0 | +5.48 | +23.1 | +10.7 | +9.3 | -10.2 | -2.3 | +0.0 | 1.11 | 0.548 | – | – | – | +12 |
| Career total (1985+ data) | 5 | +49.7 | +49.1 | -26.3 | +29.4 | -38.8 | +5.8 | +0.8 | 1.98 | 0.596 | 3 | 2 | 2 | -23 | |||
| Player | Pos | Team | How | Year | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Wells | P | NYY | Free agency | 1996 | +17.0 |
| Orlando Hernández | P | NYY | Intl FA | 1998 | +13.9 |
| Derek Bell | OF | HOU | Trade | 1994 | +12.2 |
| Scott Brosius | 3B | NYY | Free agency | 1998 | +8.7 |
| Mike Stanton | P | NYY | Free agency | 1996 | +7.5 |
| Chuck Knoblauch | 2B | NYY | Trade | 1998 | +7.0 |
| Scott Elarton | P | HOU | Draft | 1994 | +5.2 |
| John Cangelosi | OF | HOU | Free agency | 1995 | +3.5 |
| Hideki Irabu | P | NYY | Draft | 1997 | +3.2 |
| Nick Johnson | 1B | NYY | Draft | 1996 | +2.9 |
| Dwight Gooden | P | NYY | Free agency | 1996 | +2.4 |
| Dave Veres | P | HOU | Trade | 1994 | +2.2 |
| Mitch Meluskey | C | HOU | Trade | 1995 | +2.1 |
| Dave Magadan | 1B/3B | HOU | Free agency | 1995 | +1.9 |
| Joe Girardi | C | NYY | Free agency | 1996 | +1.9 |
| Julio Lugo | SS | HOU | Draft | 1994 | +1.7 |
| Russ Johnson | 2B/3B | HOU | Draft | 1994 | +1.3 |
| Chili Davis | DH/OF | NYY | Free agency | 1997 | +1.3 |
| Sean Berry | 3B | HOU | Trade | 1995 | +1.1 |
| John Halama | P | HOU | Draft | 1994 | +0.7 |
| Derrick May | OF | HOU | Trade | 1995 | +0.7 |
| Marcus Thames | DH/OF | NYY | Draft | 1996 | +0.7 |
| Jeriome Robertson | P | HOU | Draft | 1995 | +0.6 |
| Tim Raines | OF | NYY | Free agency | 1998 | +0.6 |
| Sid Bream | 1B | HOU | Free agency | 1994 | +0.4 |
| Tony McKnight | P | HOU | Draft | 1995 | +0.4 |
| Darren Holmes | P | NYY | Free agency | 1997 | +0.4 |
| Willie Banks | P | NYY | Free agency | 1997 | +0.3 |
| Homer Bush | 2B | NYY | Trade | 1997 | +0.3 |
| Randy Choate | P | NYY | Draft | 1997 | +0.3 |
| Graeme Lloyd | P | NYY | Trade | 1996 | +0.3 |
| Brandon Claussen | P | NYY | Draft | 1998 | +0.1 |
| Juan Rivera | OF | NYY | Intl FA | 1996 | +0.1 |
| Ross Powell | P | HOU | Trade | 1994 | +0.0 |
| Mike Aldrete | 1B/OF | NYY | Trade | 1996 | +0.0 |
| Ryan Bradley | P | NYY | Draft | 1997 | -0.0 |
| Billy Brewer | P | NYY | Trade | 1996 | +0.0 |
| Michel Hernández | C | NYY | Intl FA | 1998 | +0.0 |
| Scott Seabol | 3B | NYY | Draft | 1996 | -0.0 |
| Mark Whiten | OF | NYY | Free agency | 1997 | +0.0 |
| Jerry Goff | C | HOU | Free agency | 1995 | -0.1 |
| John Johnstone | P | HOU | Free agency | 1995 | -0.1 |
| Craig McMurtry | P | HOU | Free agency | 1994 | -0.1 |
| Wilfredo Rodríguez | P | HOU | Intl FA | 1995 | -0.1 |
| Iván Cruz | 1B | NYY | Trade | 1997 | -0.1 |
| Drew Henson | 3B | NYY | Draft | 1998 | -0.1 |
| Tim McIntosh | C/OF | NYY | Free agency | 1996 | -0.1 |
| Mike Vento | OF | NYY | Draft | 1997 | -0.1 |
| Ken Ramos | OF | HOU | Trade | 1994 | -0.2 |
| Milt Thompson | OF | HOU | Free agency | 1994 | -0.2 |
| Luis Sojo | 2B | NYY | Free agency | 1997 | -0.2 |
| Doug Brocail | P | HOU | Trade | 1994 | -0.3 |
| Scott Pose | OF | NYY | Free agency | 1996 | -0.3 |
| Craig Shipley | 3B/SS | HOU | Trade | 1994 | -0.4 |
| Barry Wesson | OF | HOU | Draft | 1995 | -0.4 |
| Erick Almonte | SS | NYY | Intl FA | 1996 | -0.4 |
| Dale Polley | P | NYY | Trade | 1996 | -0.4 |
| Randy Keisler | P | NYY | Draft | 1998 | -0.5 |
| Matt Howard | 2B | NYY | Trade | 1996 | -0.6 |
| Dale Sveum | 3B/SS | NYY | Free agency | 1997 | -0.7 |
| Ricky Gutiérrez | SS | HOU | Trade | 1994 | -2.0 |
WAB = wins above what the team's payroll predicted (resource-controlled). WAR surplus = era-neutral value (WAR minus payroll in win-equivalents). Roster surplus $M = dollar value of WAR over cost. Build channels (realized fWAR): HG = home-grown via amateur draft / international signing; Trade = acquired minus surrendered (incl. purchases/waivers); FA = signed minus walked; R5 = Rule-5 / minor-league-draft pickups. Credit follows the acquisition year — home-grown to the regime at the player's draft/signing (not whoever was in the chair when he peaked), trade/FA/R5 to the GM who made the move. Players acquired as prospects before debuting (e.g. Smoltz, Bagwell; Rule-5 picks like Uggla) are counted as trade/R5, not home-grown. All are franchise-level outcomes during the stint, not solely attributable to one executive.