The heavy lifting for the Atlanta Braves' rebuild is almost complete, and team president John Schuerholz is stepping aside to undertake a new role in the organization. He'll now become the club's vice chairman.
The news of this change was reported early this morning, and the Braves made the official announcement a couple of hours ago. Executive Vice President Mike Plant will now take over as president, and Development and Executive Vice President Derek Schiller has been named as President, Business.
"John Schuerholz has provided tremendous leadership for this organization for more than 25 years," CEO Terry McGuirk said in a press release. "While he is stepping back from his overall day-to-day business and development duties, we are excited that he will continue to be a source for consultation and guidance on baseball matters. As we close out our time at Turner Field this season, we will put John in his rightful place in the Braves Hall of Fame."
Schuerholz joined the Braves organization following the 1990 season to become the team's general manager. He assumed that role until the end of the 2007 season. He was then promoted to team president and held that post until Thursday. During that tenure, he witnessed an up-and-down run from the team, which resulted in an NL East division title, three postseason appearances and five winning records, but two fourth-place finishes and an overarching rebuilding project over the past two years.
The 75-year-old has endured a 50-year MLB career after beginning as an administrative assistant for the Baltimore Orioles in 1967. Under his guidance, the Braves made the postseason 17 out of 25 seasons, made the World Series five times, captured one championship and won 15 division titles (including 11 in a row from 1995-2005).
As general manager of the Kansas City Royals from 1981-1990, Schuerholz won a World Series in 1985 and made an ALCS appearance in 1984.
Schuerholz was responsible for signing Greg Maddux, Andruw Jones and Rafael Furcal, as well as drafting Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, Adam LaRoche, Jason Schmidt, Jermaine Dye, John Rocker, Kevin Millwood, Marcus Giles and others during his reign as GM/President.
This move by the Braves could be the final major change before the team moves into their new stadium before the 2017 season.
