The Edmonton Jackrabbits made it official today as they announced that Chuck Valenches, the GM of the Sydney Sharks of the GBC, would take over the role of GM for the Edmonton Jackrabbits. The move was announced in a hastily assembled press conference at AGLS Field today.
Valenches brings a long history in the scouting departments for a number of BBA franchises and some experience as a GM with the Sydney Sharks of the Global Baseball Consortium. The 92 year old only held the reigns for the Sharks for the last month of the season, but Jackrabbits owner James Leonard must have like what he saw as he concluded negotiations with Valenches quickly after longtime GM, Mike Bauer, left the organization.
Valenches read from a statement at his press conference laying out his core philosophies and ghoals.
“I’m proud to be here and proud to be taking over a team with such a storied history. The Edmonton Jackrabbits are one of the oldest teams in the Brewster Baseball Association and they have a proud tradition in this league with three BBA pennants flying from the scoreboard. I I hope to bring an eye for young talent to the Jackrabbits and start turning this team back into a competitor again. Our goal is to win championships here and we will always be moving forward towards that goal. The team we will put out on the field will be good guys who buy into the program and want to be a part of what we are building here. There will be changes, but I hope to make them for the better. My goal is to bring the city of Edmonton back to the Monty Brewster Memorial Cup and do it in a sustainable way that will keep this team improving each year.”
Valenches did take some questions and gave some frank candid answers about some of the changes expected at AGLS Field.
“I first want to announce that Alonso Chavez has been relieved of his duties as manager of the Edmonton Jackrabbits. I felt that Alonso’s talents did not match up with what we are trying to build in Edmonton. We expect to have an announcement later this afternoon on a new manager hire. “
Valenches also announced to the press that Assistant GM Mark Roberson had been let go and that Derek Morgan had been brought aboard as the new Assistant GM. “I look forward to working with Derek again. He was my Assistant in Sydney and brings a wealth of baseball knowledge to our club.”
Valenches stated that the team would be investing significant resources in player development and would also be planning new promotions to bring back the fans. As for the team. No word on who they will sign or if there are any trades on the horizon. Valenches did say that the farm system was left in pretty good shape by Mike Bauer and that in the near future they would be adding pieces via Free Agency.
“I look forward to getting to know members of the press as we go along this journey to an Edmonton title.” He concluded. “I hope we can reach our goals sooner rather than later. As for now, let’s get ready to sharpen our pencils and review some video. We have busy off-season ahead of us. Thank you all.”
