Orioles announce boost in baseball operations

The Baltimore Orioles today announced the following promotions as part of Baseball Operations: MIKE SNYDER from Senior Director of Pro Scouting to Vice President of Pro Scouting; BRENDAN FOURNEY from Director of Baseball Strategy to Senior Director of Baseball Strategy and Operations; DI ZU from Director of Baseball Systems to Senior Director of Baseball Systems and Analytics; RYAN HARDIN from Senior Data Scientist for Pro Player Assessment to Director of Pro Player Analytics; MICHAEL WEISS from Senior Data Scientist, Assessment Project, to Analytics Project Director; JIM DANIELS Senior Software Engineer to Assistant Director of Baseball Systems; PETER ASH from senior software engineer to chief software engineer; BEN McLean from Scouting Analyst to Senior Scouting Analyst; BEN REED from Scouting Analyst to Senior Scouting Analyst; And SAM KIM from MLB member to analyst to professional scouting.

“I am proud to announce these promotions, which reflect the growth of our front office and the ascension of the organization as a whole,” said MIKE ELIASexecutive vice president and general manager of the Orioles. “The professional scouting department has had a huge positive impact on the development of our roster and farm system. The Baseball Analytics team has provided high-quality information and cutting-edge tools that inform everything we do in our warehouse offices and throughout our player scouting and development operations. The work of these employees has been integral to our winning more games over the past two seasons than any other team in the American League. “I would like to thank David Rubinstein and the entire ownership group for their commitment and investment in the continued improvement of baseball operations.”

Snyder will continue to oversee professional player scouting and player analysis in the major, minor and Asian professional leagues, as well as assist with contract negotiations, 40-man roster construction, player transactions and hiring departments. He previously served as the club’s director of professional scouting (2020-23), director of professional scouting, director of operations and baseball development in the Pacific region (2015-19), assistant director of player personnel (2013-14), assistant Director of Scouting and Player Development (2012), Baseball Operations Assistant and International Scout (2010–11) and Baseball Operations Intern (2009). During his time with the Orioles, he was actively involved in the amateur draft, international scouting, compliance, contracts and salary arbitration, in addition to his professional scouting leadership, which was instrumental in several important acquisitions. He graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University (New Jersey) in 2008 with a degree in economics and received a master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 2019. Snyder and his wife Lindsay reside in Frederick, Maryland. their two children, Ellie and Jonah.

Fourney oversees baseball economic research and prospecting and advises the baseball operations team on roster management, transactions and contracts. He just completed his ninth season in Major League Baseball and third with the Orioles, having spent his first six years in the industry in various baseball positions with the Houston Astros from 2016-21. Fourney attended the University of Missouri, earning dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and sports management, and a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Florida, where he also studied statistics and entrepreneurship.

Zou just completed his eighth season with the Orioles and third as director of Baseball Systems. He will continue to oversee the development of internal baseball operations information systems and contribute to various baseball technology and analytics initiatives. Zou began working for the organization in 2017 as a baseball systems developer and was promoted to baseball systems manager in 2020. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in mathematics and resides in Ellicott City, Maryland with his wife and daughters.

The club also promoted several people in the Strength and Performance category: TREY WIDMAN from MLB strength coach to MLB head strength coach; ROGELIO REALZOLA from Performance Analyst to Major League Performance Analyst; WILL ELY from Little League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator to Little League Strength and Conditioning Director; JOHN MEDICI from Triple-A Strength and Conditioning to Assistant Little League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator; And JULIO DIAZ-BERRIOS from Complex Strength and Conditioning Coordinator to Latin America Strength and Conditioning Coordinator.