Thoughts on some GMs in the news

The Marlins made history Friday, making Kim Ng the first female general manager of a major North American men's professional sports franchise. Ng's hiring was greeted with overwhelming praise from every corner of the baseball world and beyond, and it was comforting to see how much everyone understood how much the 51-year-old has earned this job and wasn't simply handed it for the publicity.

Ng worked her way up the ladder for more than two decades, starting out as an intern for the White Sox in 1990, then becoming an assistant GM with the Yankees and later the Dodgers before her most recent position as a senior vice president for baseball operations at Major League Baseball headquarters.

She took the long road to reach the pinnacle of her profession, longer than should've been necessary, interviewing for the GM job with at least five different franchises before finally getting one of them.

Truth be told, few recent GM hires can claim to have comparable experience and qualifications as Ng, which is telling in its own right. How many owners in the last decade have hired young GMs with little-to-no baseball experience but backgrounds in finance and analytics? A lot.

That's not to say those GMs aren't worthy of their positions. Several of them have been quite successful, including the two who just led their respective clubs to the World Series.

But you just don't find very many GMs nowadays who took the old-school, climb-the-ladder path to the top that Ng did. In fact, one of the most notable examples with that kind of background is the guy who has been in charge of the Nationals for the last 11 years.

Mike Rizzo spent 21 years as a scout with the White Sox, Red Sox and Diamondbacks before the Nats gave him a chance to be their assistant GM in 2006. Three years later, he took over as GM, and he has held that position ever since, just recently signing a contract extension that will keep him in D.C. through at least 2023.

Obviously, Rizzo didn't have to face challenges anything like Ng did before getting a job as GM of an MLB franchise. But it is interesting to consider how rare it is in the sport today for a true baseball "lifer" to ascend all the way up to the top front-office position there is.

It's comforting to know it's still possible. And even occasionally produces historic results.

Two other GM-related thoughts on this Saturday morning ...

* The Angels' new GM, Perry Minasian, has taken an interesting path to the top himself. And he's got a very close connection to the Nationals.

Minasian first started "working" in baseball as an 8-year-old bat boy for the Rangers, thanks to his father, Zack, who was the assistant clubhouse manager. Perry Minasian wound up becoming a scout for the Rangers and Blue Jays, then an assistant GM for the Braves before getting hired this week by the Angels.

Baseball is big in the Minasian family. Perry has two brothers who also work in the sport. Zack Jr. is a pro scouting director for the Giants. And Calvin is the major league/minor league equipment coordinator for the Nationals.

* Perry Minasian inherits an Angels roster that's loaded with star power but has come up woefully short in the standings since making a quick-exit appearance in the 2014 postseason. One of those stars, of course, is Anthony Rendon, who now enters his second season in Anaheim with his second GM.

You know else is going to be on his second GM since leaving the Nationals? Bryce Harper, who is still waiting for the Phillies to hire a replacement for the fired Matt Klentak. As Harper enters his third season in Philadelphia, he's already on his second GM and second manager.