World Series champ Alex Anthopoulos discusses priorities in top exec role with Atlanta Braves
Alex Anthopoulos, the General Manager of the Atlanta Braves, is considered to be one of the few top executives in the game. He is also a World Series champion.
Born in Montreal, Canada to a Greek family, Anthopoulos grew up helping his father run his HVAC company. In 2000, he was hired as a fresh graduate by the Montreal Expos as an intern.
Three years later, with the fate of the Expos sealed, he made the move to Toronto, joining the Blue Jays as a scouting coordinator.
Over the next number of years, Alex Anthopoulos worked his way up the Blue Jays organization. In 2005, he was promoted to assistant GM and then promoted again to the team's GM in 2009.
Under Anthopoulos' time in the front office, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired some of their biggest stars of the generation like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes and Ricky Romero.
Following his departure from the Jays in 2015, Anthopoulos worked for the Dodgers and was then hired by the Atlanta Braves in 2017.
Since joining the team, Anthopoulos has made some very shrewd deals, including signing stars like Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr, as well as making trades for players like Matt Olson and Sean Murphy.
Alex Anthopoulos is the best general manager in Braves history. This man is doing Gods work.. pic.twitter.com/wpYJmL02YN
"Alex Anthopoulos is the best general manager in Braves history. This man is doing Gods work.." - Everything Georgia
The winner of the 2021 World Series, Anthopoulos' toil and hard work finally paid off. It was the team's first championship since the 1995 season.
In a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda host Reggie Roberts, Anthopoulos shared his priorities in his role as GM of the Atlanta Braves. According to the 46-year-old, it's all about the people, he stated:
"If I don’t like who I work for and work with, I have zero interest in that job".
While Anthopoulos' credentials as a manager are doubted by very few, he has not gotten along with everyone.
When 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman decided not to re-sign with the Braves after ten seasons, and ink a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead, the slugger cited his poor relationship with Anthopoulos as a contributing factor.
Alex Anthopoulos, a Canadian baseball legend
While Montreal is not known as a baseball hotspot, it surely produced one of the best executives of the modern age. Already with so many accomplishments, it is exciting to see what Alex Anthopoulos might do next.