ORLANDO, FL—Many fans in Major League Baseball see the Los Angeles Dodgers negatively because of their high spending on an All-Star roster. However, building a perennial winner involves more than just spending money (consider the New York Mets).
While Andrew Friedman is the architect behind the Dodgers’ recent championship success since he took over during the 2015 offseason, much of it can be traced back to former Dodgers scout Logan White, who recently announced his retirement.
White left the Dodgers that winter when Andrew Friedman took over, choosing to join their National League West rival, the San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, Los Angeles appointed Billy Gasparino, and the outcomes have been largely positive, making it difficult to criticize the decision.
Nonetheless, it’s important to recognize White’s influence on the pre-Guggenheim Dodgers and his role in developing some of baseball’s top farm systems throughout his 13 years as scouting director.
White was directly involved in scouting and drafting star players like Cody Bellinger, Chad Billingsley, Nathan Eovaldi, Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Corey Seager, among many others.
However, perhaps his most accomplished player is left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who also announced his retirement earlier this year.
Additionally, White’s role expanded to include international operations, and he assisted in the Dodgers’ signing of Yasiel Puig and Julio Urías.
Under White’s leadership, over 100 players advanced to the Major Leagues through the amateur draft and international signings.
White joined the Dodgers in 2002 as the director of amateur scouting. In 2006, he was promoted to assistant general manager for amateur and international scouting, and in 2006, he was further promoted to vice president of amateur scouting.
Since rejoining the Padres in 2015, White has been responsible for evaluating all players across Major Leagues, Minor Leagues, amateur, and international levels. His contributions have been vital to the team’s roster-building strategy, which has included trading numerous prospects to acquire Major League talent.
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