After each MLB season Baseball America names their Major League Executive of the Year. Dan Duquette, the executive vice president of baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles, took home the honors in 2014.
The Orioles finished 96-66, which was second in the MLB behind only the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimore captured its first AL East title and reached its first ALCS since 1997 and Buck Showalter on the AL Manager of the Year award. Duquette was the man behind the scenes putting this team together.
Duquette joined the Orioles in 2011 and at that point had been out of baseball since he was dismissed as general manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2002. He was with Boston from 1995-2002 and amassed a 656-574 record. Prior to that he was with the Montreal Expos as the director of player development (1987-1991) and general manager (1991-1995).
With the Orioles, Duquette has two playoff appearances and three winning records in four seasons. 2014 was perhaps his best year, as the Orioles managed to notch 96 wins without catcher Matt Wieters and third baseman Manny Machado for much of the season. Prior to the season, Duquette landed outfielder Nelson Cruz on a one-year, $8 million contract and he ended up leading the league with 40 home runs. But the 56-year-old made a lot of moves during the year that helped the team immensely.
When Wieters went down for the season and underwent Tommy John surgery, Duquette traded for catcher Nick Hundley, who provided a great defensive relief at the position. He also added Alejandro De Aza for outfield depth and left-handed reliever Andrew Miller (1.35 ERA in 20 IP) to bolster the bullpen. Steve Pearce, who Duquette acquired a year ago, set career highs in home runs and RBIs with the team in 2014 and also provided relief for the struggling (and suspended) Chris Davis. The pitching staff had the seventh best ERA (3.43) in the MLB and was able to achieve that without a clear cut ace in the starting rotation.
"I like to work," Duquette said in this Baseball America article. "It's not really work. When you have your passion aligned with your vocation, it's a privilege. So, I guess that's probably what I bring. I just love to be around baseball and I enjoy building teams and helping people develop their skills."
However, the Orioles face some issues heading into 2015. They lost Nelson Cruz to the Seattle Mariners and expect to lose Miller via free agency as well. Nick Markakis, who was once viewed as a lock to re-sign, has begun exploring options with other teams. We'll see how the Orioles deal with their offseason issues.