Taking a closer look at two candidates

The Orioles will interview their fifth candidate today for the job of president of baseball operations. One of them took another job. Another one kept his old job. Two of them remain in contention. Where it stops, nobody knows. I told you last night that the Orioles have sought permission to interview Tampa Bay Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Minnesota Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff and Chicago White Sox vice president/assistant general manager Rick Hahn. They're aware of the possibility that most or all of them will decline, but it doesn't hurt to check. The Orioles are meeting today with Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock, who served as their director of baseball administration from 2006-2008. Another one of their catchy titles. Proefrock began his baseball career in 1987 as a marketing intern with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He later became director of marketing information systems and a scouting and player development assistant. He also served as the Atlanta Braves' assistant director for scouting and player development, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' director of baseball administration and assistant director for scouting and player development. It was so long ago, the team was still known as the Devil Rays. Proefrock was the Baltimore media's go-to guy for rules interpretations. He handled a variety of duties with the club, including assisting in trades, contract talks and arbitration negotiations. Proefrock didn't sever his ties to the area after joining the Phillies. He still has a home in Phoenix, Md. While it's natural to link him to all the losing in Baltimore, Proefrock held very strong opinions about the rosters during his stint in the front office. I'm convinced that, given the choice, he would have cut at least three-fourths of the players. Of all the names that I tossed at you yesterday, and there were plenty, perhaps the most intriguing for me was Oakland Athletics assistant general manager David Forst. An early-30s Harvard grad? A "Moneyball" guy? That would be an interesting direction for the Orioles, who are expected to seek permission to interview him. Forst played four seasons at Harvard and was a third-team All-American as a senior in 1998. He also spent two years in the independent Frontier League. His primary role with the Athletics is assisting general manager Billy Beane in contract negotiations and player acquisitions and evaluations. You can read up on Forst here.