Kim Ng: The Best Potential GM You Might Not Know About.

[Porter]

Some of us always way we can be a better general manager than the one we have right now. We all like to believe that Mission could run the Marlins better than anyone else could imagine. In reality, you have to get your foot in the door, pay your dues to say. Let me introduce you to a name you're probably hearing about a lot in some circles when it comes to an actual GM spot. Her name is Kim Ng, currently the assistant GM for the LA Dodgers. Yes, she could be the 1st woman to become a GM in MLB history. Wondering where the hell Kim came from? Here's a little 411 on how she got to this level of unprecedented possibilities.

Kim Ng graduated from the University of Chicago in 1991. She played softball for four years there and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy. Six months after graduating, Kim got an internship role for the Chicago White Sox. The internship was a special project analyst for the organization. Kim was later promoted to Assistant Director of Baseball Operations in 1995. She assisted in the analysis of player tendencies, the signing of free agents, and all ML player movement, arbitration, contract negotiating and budgets. She earned the promotion to Assistant Director after winning a case against Scott Boras in the the Alex Fernandez case. Two years later, she took a job with the AL league office as the director of waivers and player records. Kim used that job to learn the ins and outs of how the league was run and to build her network base for future jobs down the road. Kim was frequent contact with Brian Cashman and the Yankees brought her on in 1998. As the assistant GM and eventual top advisor for Cashman, Ng won three World Series rings in the 4 years in that role. As a bonus, Ng was the negotiator in the winning arbitration case versus a closer that you might know by Mariano Rivera. She took some time off before reuniting with Dan Evans and the Dodgers. As the Vice President and Assistant General Manager for the Dodgers, Kim oversaw all minor league operations and development. Earning Baseball America's award for Organization of the year in 2006, Kim Ng was considered to be the top general manager prospect by the very same magazine. It's pretty safe to say that she is well qualified to be a GM for any team in Major League Baseball at the moment.

With the inevitable general manager openings that will come up this off-season, I hope that teams will take a real strong look at her resume. Which comes to the team I think will most likely take the chances of the 1st female GM ever. The Seattle Mariners. Why you might ask? Its pretty simple, first of all, they have Asian ownership. Granted they are Japanese but have been known to take care of Ichiro and Johjima. I think that they would have no problems breaking another barrier and pave another road for more potential females down the road. Second, Chuck Armstrong has been on record of saying that this organization will be “gender-blind” in their search for a new general manager. He is also on record to say he wants some fresh ideas as well. Let's face it, its about time MLB wakes up and smells the coffee and give Kim Ng the job she deserves. The 1st female general manager in MLB history and I hope the M's make the right choice.

[Porter]

Sources
Los Angeles Dodgers Executives
Baseball Prospectus | Articles | Prospectus Q&A: Kim Ng
Taipei Times - archives

if you need it. There is also a couple on ESPN.com

[NYgiantsfan5689]

The only question is......how the **** do you pronounce her last name???

Great article Porter, I thoroughly enjoyed it. EXTREMELY well written and the research is phenomenal

[HollywoodLeo]

I think it's pronounced "ing" like at the end of an action verb. "hitting"

I could be wrong, though.

[realmofotalk]

I'm more concerned about teams knocking on the door of our other assistant GM.

[Kingdom]

Lucy Liu's personal assistant.

[realmofotalk]

Tony Jackson: Kim Ng, Dodgers assistant GM, is satisfied - ESPN Los Angeles

Arbitration is a complex process in which players whose contracts are up and who have at least three and less than six years of major league service time can take the team to a hearing. In that hearing, a panel must choose either the player's figure or the team's figure, with no wiggle room in between. It behooves both parties to reach a compromise agreement while they can, meaning before they ever get to a hearing.

Perhaps no one in baseball is better at doing that than Ng. In nine winters of handling all arbitration cases for the Dodgers, she has gone to a hearing with just two players. One of those was in 2004, with reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne, who had gone a perfect 55-for-55 in save opportunities the year before. The other was in 2007 with reliever Joe Beimel, who was asking for just $337,500 more than the team was offering.

Ng won both of those cases.

"I think it's a tribute to her that more of her cases don't go to arbitration," Abbott said. "She might say it makes it look like she isn't tough enough, but I think that is a disservice to her. ... The arbitration system is set up to find middle ground, and that is what she is so good at. I would guess that more times than not, that middle ground has teetered her way as opposed to the agent's way. That goes back to preparation and the ability to set forth what her arguments are and her rationale is.

"As an agent, I always make sure I'm thoroughly prepared before I talk to her. If I'm not ready, I say, 'Kim, I'll call you back,' because that would be like taking a knife to a gun fight. You know she is going to be prepared for every angle you come at her from."

Facing a daunting list of nine potential arbitration cases this year -- a list that included four former All-Stars, two Gold Glove winners and two players who finished in the top 10 in the NL Most Valuable Player voting last season -- Ng reached amicable agreements with all nine players, all before the deadline for teams and players to exchange figures.

Although three of those players were given two-year deals, Ng signed all nine players for a total of $31.95 million in 2010 salary.

Frank McBroke ought to be sucking her snatch for remaining with the team for the one year she was needed most. I guess she wasn't "strategic" enough for Jeff Moorad of the Padres.

[redsrbetter]

She has been underrated for quite a while. Good stuff here. Something to continue to enjoy in Dodgerland?

[realmofotalk]

Don't know, probably not, considering NedCo is locked in as GM through 2014 (God help us).

[missionhockey21]

I just hope she doesn't get put into a 'no-win' situation for her first GM position. Because some would like to write her off, feeling that she is overrated by many just because she is a woman.

[HollywoodLeo]

She was one of the candidates the Padres interviewed before they decided on Preller.

I'm sure she'll get one eventually. There haven't been a lot of openings lately where the team didn't decide to promote from within.

[schisno]

I'll hire her.

[Mach]

racial collusion, figures

[schisno]

damn whiteys, someone bring me the one they call Whitey Borg to do something about this.

[Mach]

he's in jail