Harry Dalton | |
|---|---|
 Harry Dalton at age 27 in 1955 | |
| Born | (1928-08-23)August 23, 1928 |
| Died | October 23, 2005(2005-10-23) (aged 77) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation | Baseball executive |
| Years active | 1954–1994 |
Harry Inglis Dalton[1] (August 23, 1928 – October 23, 2005) was an American front-office executive inMajor League Baseball. He served asgeneral manager of threeAmerican League (AL) teams, theBaltimore Orioles (1966–71),California Angels (1972–77) andMilwaukee Brewers (1978–91), and was a principal architect of the Orioles' dynasty of 1966–74 as well as the only AL championship the Brewers ever won (1982). He was twice named executive of the year.
Born inWest Springfield, Massachusetts—also the hometown ofBaseball Hall of FamemanagerLeo Durocher[2]—Dalton graduated fromAmherst College and served in theUnited States Air Force during theKorean War, earning aBronze Star.
Dalton was born on April 23, 1928, inWest Springfield Massachusetts.[3] He graduated Amherst College in 1950 as an English major. He later worked as a sportswriter for theSpringfield Daily News. Dalton served a three-year tour of duty in the Korean War with the Air Force, earning a Bronze Star as a combat press officer in Japan and Korea.[4]
After a brief stint as a sportswriter in Springfield, he joined the Baltimore Orioles' front office in December 1953, newly reborn from the relocatedSt. Louis Browns, who would begin their first season as the Orioles in 1954. He was originally looking to work in public relations, but was instead hired as an assistant to Jim McLaughlin, the Orioles' scouting andfarm system director, who recognized Dalton's qualities and potential.[5][6]
Under McLaughlin and Orioles managerPaul Richards, in the mid-to-late 1950s, the Orioles began to develop a uniform approach to creating a successful baseball organization, from the lowest minor league team up to the major leagues. Dalton, along with others such as "super scout"Jim Russo, and future Oriole Hall of Fame managerEarl Weaver, were part of Richards's and McLaughlin's early core group integral to the development of "the Oriole Way". This philosophy and practice led to the Orioles having the most wins of any major league team from the mid-late 1950s to the mid-1980s. From 1954-65, Dalton worked his way up the organizational ladder, rising to the position of director of the Orioles' successful farm system in 1961; replacing McLaughlin (who was fired because he and Richards could not get along). During these years, Dalton developed a mutual respect with the team's scouts that was essential to the Orioles success.[6][5][7][8][9][10]
In 1956, Dalton had identified Weaver's potential as a manager, and recommended him to McLaughlin, who already knew Weaver as a teenage ballplayer from St. Louis. Dalton worked with, supervised and later promoted Weaver through the Orioles' minor league system.[7][11][12] Weaver would later become key to the Orioles, and Dalton's, success as the team's major league manager.
In the autumn of1965, Baltimore club president and general managerLee MacPhail departed to become top aide to the newCommissioner of Baseball,William Eckert. Dalton was named director of player personnel—in reality, MacPhail's successor as head of baseball operations.[6] His first order of business was to complete a trade McPhail was working on that broughtCincinnati RedsoutfielderFrank Robinson to Baltimore forpitchersMilt Pappas andJack Baldschun and outfielderDick Simpson. Russo had been urging the Orioles to acquire Robinson for years, and had been key to engineering the trade that Dalton finalized.[13][14][6]
Robinson, the1961National LeagueMost Valuable Player, was one of the greatest stars in the game, but he had developed a strained relationship with the Cincinnati front office.[15] In his first Baltimore season, Robinson won theTriple Crown and teamed with future Hall of Famethird basemanBrooks Robinson, future Hall of Fame pitcherJim Palmer, future Hall of Fame shortstopLuis Aparicio, and futureMost Valuable Player (MVP)Boog Powell, among others, to lead the Orioles to the1966 World Series championship over theLos Angeles Dodgers in a four game sweep. The team was managed byHank Bauer.[16][17][18][19][20][21]
The Orioles were unsuccessful in 1967.[22] In 1968, Dalton wanted the future Hall of Famer Weaver to manage the team, but the team owner wanted to keep Bauer. Dalton promoted Weaver from theTriple-ARochester Red Wings to the Orioles first base coach for 1968. Dalton won approval to make Weaver manager midway through the season, as the Orioles were underperforming. Weaver had managed 15 of the team's 25 players in the minor leagues. Under Weaver, the Orioles finished the year with a strong 48–34 record (.585), finishing in second place behind the 103-winDetroit Tigers.[23][24][25]
Over the next three years (1969-71), the Orioles won the American League title each season, sweeping every game of the first three American League championship series, and winning the1970 World Series.[26][27][28][29] The team won 109 games in1969, 108 in1970, and 101 in1971.[30] In 1970,The Sporting News selected Dalton as Major League Baseball's Executive of the Year.[31]
The 1971 team had four pitchers who won at least 20 games, only the second time this has occurred in major league baseball history.[32] Dalton traded for two of those pitchers,Mike Cuellar andPat Dobson; and the other two, Jim Palmer andDave McNally, joined the Orioles farm system when Dalton was its director.[33][34][35][36] Cuellar won theCy Young Award in his first year with the Orioles (1969), and won 18 or more games six times with them;[33] McNally had four consecutive 20-win seasons as an Oriole;[36] and Palmer became the winningest pitcher in Oriole history, as well as a Hall of Fame member.[37][38]
In addition to Frank Robinson, Dalton had also traded for the team's leadoff hitter,Don Buford.[39] Eight-timeGold Glovecenter fielderPaul Blair,[40] eight-time Gold Glove shortstopMark Belanger,[41] and three-time Gold Glovesecond basemanDavey Johnson,[42] all came into the Orioles minor league system when Dalton was its director.[43][44][45] Future major league stars such asBobby Grich andDon Baylor, joined the Oriole organization when Dalton was the organization's head of all baseball operations.[46][47]
Following the1971 World Series loss to thePittsburgh Pirates, on October 27, Dalton resigned as the Orioles' vice president and director of player personnel to accept a five-year contract to become executive vice president and general manager of theCalifornia Angels.[48] He succeededDick Walsh, who had been dismissed one week prior on October 20.[49] He acquiredNolan Ryan in a December 1971 trade with theNew York Mets,[50] ultimately considered one of the most uneven trades in baseball history (in the Angels favor),[51] but during Dalton's six seasons in Anaheim the team never posted a winning record.[52] He was stripped of his executive vice president position, which was assigned toBuzzie Bavasi, on October 24, 1977, whenGene Autry assumed a greater role in the team's baseball operations by naming himself president.[53][54]
One month later, on November 20, 1977, Dalton was hired as general manager of theMilwaukee Brewers. He succeededJim Baumer, who had resigned the previous night in a purge which also cost managerAlex Grammas and player development directorAl Widmar their jobs.[55] Dalton filled the managerial vacancy when he named Orioles'pitching coachGeorge Bamberger the Brewers' new skipper two months later on January 20, 1978.[56] Beginning the 1978 season, Milwaukee had a group of talented young players, such asRobin Yount (who had a .288batting average with a .964fielding percentage atshortstop in 1977),Cecil Cooper (who hit .300 with 20home runs in 1977), and rookiePaul Molitor (who hit .347 in minor league play in 1977); but the nine-year-old franchise had never had a winning season, and finished the 1977 season with a 67–95 record.[57][58][59][60][61]
But, under Dalton and Bamberger, the team quickly gelled into contenders in theAmerican League East Division. From 1978-80, the Brewers won 93, 95 and 86 games respectively; finishing third, second and third in their division.[57] In late 1980, Dalton and theSt. Louis Cardinals'Whitey Herzog (both manager and general manager) engineered a trade that sentrelief pitcherRollie Fingers,catcherTed Simmons, andstarting pitcherPete Vuckovich to the Brewers forDavid Green,Dave LaPoint,Sixto Lezcano andLary Sorenson to the Cardinals.[62] Fingers went on to win the American League Cy Young Award in 1981, and Vuckovich won the same award as the top American League pitcher the following year.[63] Fingers and Simmons would also go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame (as was Herzog).[62]
By1981, the Brewers made the playoffs in a strike-shortened season.[57] In addition to winning the Cy Young Award, Fingers was named the league's most valuable player in 1981.[64] Vuckovich tied for the league lead inwins (14).[62] In1982, the season did not start out auspiciously for the Brewers, and Dalton fired managerBuck Rodgers in early June, replacing him withHarvey Kuenn as interim manager.[65] The move paid off for Dalton as the Brewers were 23–24 under Rodgers, but went on to finish the season 72–43 under Kuenn, winning the American League east title on the last day of the season over the Orioles, with whom they had been tied.[57][66] In another move that helped the Brewers, Dalton had obtained future Hall of Fame starting pitcherDon Sutton in late August, who then went 4–1 for the Brewers.[67][68] It was Sutton who defeated Jim Palmer and the Orioles in that final game to win the division for the Brewers.[66]
After clinching the division title, Milwaukee won its first and only American League pennant (the Brewers moved to theNational League Central Division in1998).[69][57] Not only did Vuckovich win the 1982 Cy Young Award with an 18–6won-loss record, but Simmons had 23 home runs and 97runs batted in (RBI), fifth best on the high scoring Brewers who hit .279 as a team, with 216 home runs and 891runs scored.[70][71][72] The offensively prodigious Brewers were nicknamed "Harvey's Wallbangers" after their manager.[73]
In the1982 World Series, the Brewers lost to Herzog's Cardinals in seven games.[74] Fingers, who was selected as an All-Star in 1982 and had 29saves during the regular season, was unavailable to pitch in the World Series due to an arm injury; while Green and LaPoint made important contributions for the Cardinals.[75][62] Although they lost the World Series, for the second time in his career Dalton was selected asThe Sporting News Executive of the Year.[31]
The Brewers contended in 1983, with a record of 87–75 (finishing 5th in the division, 11 games behind the first place Orioles),[76] but then began to struggle on the field with records below .500 from 1984-86.[57] The team rebounded to third place in 1987 (91-71) and 1988 (87-75), but that was followed by fourth, sixth and fourth place finishes from 1989-91,[57] and Dalton's position was weakened. He was relegated to a role as an advisor toBud Selig (the Brewers owner and futurebaseball commissioner[77]) on October 8, 1991. His special assistantSal Bando was promoted to replace him under the title of senior vice president for baseball operations.[78]
Dalton, who remained a consultant in the Milwaukee front office through his 1994 retirement, nevertheless was one of the most respected men in baseball, who had trained other successful general managers such asJohn Schuerholz,Lou Gorman andDan Duquette, a fellow Amherst alumnus.[26][79][80][81] Selig considered Dalton the best baseball mind of his generation.[5] In the 2024 Dalton biographyLeave While the Party's Good (a 2025Seymour Medal finalist),[82] author Lee Kluck provides a history of facts supporting the conclusion that Dalton's work as a general manager – reflecting a combination of respect for his players and staff, cutting edge use of analytics, focus on collective team building (which did not include the marketing and sales side of the business), and choosing players based on ability rather aiming to fill a specific position – was "groundbreaking and set the tone for modern GMs."[5][83][84]
On July 24, 2003, Dalton was inducted into theMilwaukee Brewers Walk of Fame outsideAmerican Family Field, along with Brewers broadcasterBob Uecker.[85]
Dalton has received the following awards and honors, among others;
Dalton married Patricia Lyn Booker on July 9, 1960, with whom he had three daughters.[92][4]
Harry Dalton died at age 77 inScottsdale, Arizona, of complications fromLewy body disease, misdiagnosed asParkinson's disease.[6]
| Preceded by | Baltimore Orioles General Manager 1965–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | California Angels General Manager 1971–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewers General Manager 1977–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Sporting News Major League Baseball Executive of the Year 1982 | Succeeded by |