MLB Insider: Braves management’s latest recruit will help Atlanta where it hurts.

The Atlanta Braves hire Dean Decillis in an important front office role. Here’s how it will help, and how it will affect the Blue Jays.

The Atlanta Braves have hired Dean Decillis as a special assistant to the general manager, sources say. Decillis was most recently a special mission scout with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Decillis, 55, is part of the solution to replace Dana Brown, who was Alex Anthopoulos’ right-hand man, and was instrumental in scouting and drafting much of the Braves’ young core.

With much of that young core now in the majors, The Athletic recently ranked the Braves’ breeding system 29th in baseball, and Decillis will now be part of the scouting department responsible for replenishing that system.

Given his track record, Decillis will be up for the challenge. He played a key role in finding, scouting and recruiting star receiver Alejandro Kirk, and former Blue Jays scout Andrew Tinnish told Sportsnet in July 2021 that it was « one of the best stories in scouting in which I participated. It’s actually like the diamond in the rough”.

Besides Kirk, one of Decillis’ biggest accomplishments has been scouting Santiago Espinal. In 2018, the Blue Jays traded first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce to the Boston Red Sox for Espinal in a move that was an afterthought for most. Espinal has since become an All-Star infielder in Toronto, hitting .280/.338/.378 with a .715 OPS in 253 career games, and has emerged as a key part of their young roster.

These two players have gone under the radar and are among the Blue Jays’ greatest recruiting successes. Now Decillis will be tasked with doing the same in Atlanta with Anthopoulos, whom he worked with for years in Toronto.

Additional note on the Blue Jays…

The Pittsburgh Pirates recently signed Blake Crosby as a special duty scout, according to a source. Crosby was previously with the Blue Jays as a national scout and marks the second scout/executive to leave the organization.