DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – San Francisco Giants General Manger Scott Harris is leaving the West Coast to come to the Midwest. Detroit named Harris as the new President of Baseball Operations on Monday replacing former vice president/general manager Al Avila.

“I’ve been blessed through my career with tremendous opportunity in this game. I don’t take it for granted. When this opportunity came, I was immediately interested in it. I was interested in what they were building here. I was interested in the players they have here. I was interested in the staff they have here. But when I got to Detroit and I started walking around with Chris and seeing what Detroit all has to offer it just felt different different for me,” said Harris.

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Harris’ resume is very strong with post-season programs from the National League in the Chicago Cubs and Giants. He learned under Theo Epstein in Chicago and was a part of the rebuild that led to a World Series for the Cubs. In his first two seasons with the Giants as their GM, they posted the third best winning percentage in the MLB at .613.

“Scott’s vision for how to construct a baseball organization to compete and win in the modern game is impressive. His leadership ability is polished from both his experience as an executive at multiple levels and mentorship from some of the game’s  most talented baseball operations leaders,” says Tigers Chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch. “Scott is a difference maker, innovator and fiercely competitive, always looking for an edge. We’re excited to welcome Scott and his fiancé, Elle, to the Tigers Family, and look forward to a bright future of our organization.”

Before coming to Chicago, he worked in the MLB as the league’s coordinator of Major League Operations. Other NL teams he has been a part of were the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.

He says, “We need to acquire and develop young players. It’s not a unique strategy. Most organizations in baseball are doing that but it is exceptionally important for us and we need to absolutely lean into that over the next few years.”

He will have a young team to work with including former No. 1 overall draft picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson.

“The best organizations in baseball right now are acquiring that and getting the most out of that talent when they get into the organization. For me we need to develop a culture of development,” says Harris. “You will hear talk about this a lot. I believe everything can change and improve. My evaluations can improve. Our in-game strategies can improve. Roster construction can always improve. Our development can always improve. Our decision making can improve. And so can the players, too, at all levels of the organization. When I think of Detroit I think of trying to create an environment that inspires players to want to get better and to put in all the work that they can to get better.”

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With his success over his career, the Tigers believe they have found the right person to help turn the organization around.