Frank Wren

Franklin E. Wren (born March 17, 1958, in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American front office executive in Major League Baseball. Since the end of the 2007 baseball season, he has been the general manager of the Atlanta Braves.

Wren attended St. Petersburg Junior College and signed with the Montreal Expos as an outfielder in 1977. In five minor league seasons, he batted .259 and peaked with a 38-game trial with the Double-A Memphis Chicks in 1980. He joined the Montreal front office as assistant director of scouting in 1987.

Biography

Florida Marlins

In September of 1991, Wren's boss, Expo GM Dave Dombrowski, accepted the position of general manager of the Florida Marlins, a National League expansion franchise set to begin play in 1993. Wren followed Dombrowski to the Marlins as the club's assistant general manager. He was promoted to vice president in 1996. In 1997, a veteran-laden Marlin club won the franchise's first World Series championship. The following year, in 1998, owner H. Wayne Huizenga would order his front office to divest the team of its high-priced veterans, and the Marlins spiraled into the basement of the National League East Division. Nevertheless, Dombrowski, his front office and his farm system were considered among the best in baseball.

Baltimore Orioles

When Pat Gillick resigned as GM of the Orioles at the close of the 1998 season, Wren was recruited as his replacement. But the 1999 Orioles were a major disappointment. The club finished six games under .500 despite one of the highest payrolls in the game and the signing of free agent slugger Albert Belle to the most lucrative contract in baseball at the time. During the season, Wren and the team were criticized publicly by Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, and after just one season, the owner replaced Wren with veteran executive Syd Thrift.

Atlanta Braves

Wren then joined the Braves as top assistant general to longtime Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz, a position that he held for almost eight years. On October 11, 2007, Schuerholz was named president of the Braves and Wren was promoted to executive vice president and general manager, signing a four-year contract.

Frank Wren has been known to be a deal-maker and to develop a strong farm system. Wren has made many trades and signings in his several years working as the GM of the Braves. Wren has had 25 prospects develop into Top 100 prospects since pre-2008, notably Jason Heyward.

References

• Baseball America Executive Database
• "The Orioles and Tigers Go Out and Thoroughly Embarrass Themselves," The New York Times, Oct. 17, 1999.
• MLB Coverage GM History

External links