Anaheim, CA – The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim named Jerry Dipoto as their new general manager on Saturday.
Dipoto, who signed a five-year contract, replaces former general manager Tony Reagins, who resigned on September 30 after four years on the job.
"At the outset of this process, we felt it was important to find an individual who can evaluate talent, manage our entire baseball operations system, incorporate analytical thinking and possesses solid communication skills," Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement released by the team. "I believe with the hiring of Jerry we have done just that."
The 43-year-old Dipoto had an eight-year stint in the majors as a relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, New York Mets and Colorado Rockies before a neck injury ended his career.
He started his front-office career as a scout with the Boston Red Sox from 2003-04 before becoming the Colorado Rockies' director of player personnel in 2005.
In 2006, Dipoto moved to the Arizona Diamondbacks as the vice president of player personnel and served as the D-Backs interim GM in 2010 after Josh Byrnes was fired.
He stayed with the Diamondbacks organization despite being replaced by Kevin Towers after interviewing for the full-time general manager job last year and was the vice president of scouting and player development for the 2011 NL West Champion Diamondbacks.
"What a thrill this is," Dipoto said. "I am excited and honored to be part of one of the premier franchises in baseball. The club's success in the last 10 years isn't just notable, it has catapulted the Angels into one of the top organizations in baseball. We want to continue the success here with an increased focus on scouting and player development. We will always have championship expectations."
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