 JIM BEATTIE
After his nine-year major-league baseball career came to an end in 1986,
the last thing Jim Beattie wanted was to be known as a "former ballplayer."
An M.B.A. degree, the
pitcher decided, would give him a better feel for areas of business he was
interested in-and "more credibility than just [being] an ex-jock."
So he enrolled at the UW School of Business.
His instincts were right on the money. After receiving his M.B.A. from
the UW in 1989, Beattie (who also has a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth)
rejoined the Mariners as their director of player development. He spent
six years overseeing the Mariners' minor league system, playing a role in
major league player acquisition, contract negotiation and scouting.
Today, the "ex-jock" tag is long gone. Instead, Beattie, 44,
is known as the man with perhaps the least enviable management position
in baseball. As the vice president and general manager of the for the past four years, he has had to trade away his young stars
year after year because the Expos-by virtue of their small market-have the
lowest payroll in baseball at $9 million. (The Mariners, by comparison,
are near the upper third of baseball's food chain with a $53 million payroll.)
Those payroll constraints could loosen up if the Expos get a new stadium
in downtown Montreal. The highly controversial matter--which depends on
significant funding from the government--has been debated for months and
is still unsettled. Recent rumors have had the Expos moving to the Washington,
D.C., area. If the Expos don't get a new stadium, they will relocate, owners
state.
Amid the uncertainty, Beattie credits his time at the UW with giving
him the foundation to run a major league franchise. "The University
didn't take too many people right out of undergraduate school," says
the balding, 6-foot-6 Beattie. "Most had three to five years working
experience. So it was fun to get back in class with people who appreciated
studying and learning."
A fair major league pitcher (lifetime 52-87 record with the Yankees and
Mariners) who appeared in the 1978 World Series with New York, Beattie knows
how to develop talent. Among his successes is Mariner shortstop Alex Rodriguez.
But many of his youngsters were traded for veterans. A prime example: In
1995, the Mariners traded three No. 1 draft picks (pitchers Roger Salkeld
and Ron Villone and first baseman Marc Newfield) to get veteran pitchers
Andy Benes and Tim Belcher.
"That's all part of player development," Beattie said. "Your
job is to develop guys and get them ready for the big leagues, whether they
play for you or not."
Those trades helped in the short run, as the Mariners reached the American
League Championship Series in 1995-their best finish ever. Now the heat
on Beattie to turn the Expos into a winner. "This is what I am working
for," he says. -Gary Libman | 