Braves bring in scouting director from Jays

Domestic draft picks have added importance under limitations.

The Braves have a new scouting director just two days after opening the position.

Dana Brown joins the team as vice president for scouting to oversee the team’s amateur scouting process, the Braves announced.

He most recently worked for the Toronto Blue Jays as a special assistant to the general manager for the past nine seasons. Current Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos made Brown one of his first hires when he became the Blue Jays’ GM in October 2009.

After eight seasons as a Pirates area scout, Brown became the scouting director for the Nationals for eight seasons, dating to when the franchise was in Montreal. He and Anthopoulos met while working in the Expos’ scouting department.

Brown was credited for the drafting of Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Zimmerman, Chad Cordero, Ross Detwiler and Jordan Zimmermann while with Washington. Strasburg was taken in his final

draft before joining Antho- poulos’ Blue Jays.

Brown replaces Brian Bridges, whose dismissal was confirmed by the AJC on Wednesday. His hiring represents the most signifi- cant move yet in the team’s remaking of its scouting department.

Given the Braves’ limitations on the international market, their domestic draft selections gain even more importance. Brown is tasked with fortifying the system’s depth and ensuring it remains among the league’s best.

The Braves own two firstround picks in the 2019 draft, No. 9 and No. 21 overall.

“We are extremely excited to add Dana to our baseball operations staff,” Anthopoulos said in a news release from the team. “His track record of identifying major league talent is unquestioned, and we look forward to his contributions to our organization.”

Dana Brown was hired by Alex Anthopoulos as special assistant in Toronto.