James Click

James Click
Toronto Blue Jays
Vice President
Born: (1978-02-14) February 14, 1978 (age 46)
Durham, North Carolina
Teams
Career highlights and awards

James Click (born February 14, 1978) is an American baseball executive who is the current VP of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Click previously served in the Tampa Bay Rays organization for 15 years before being hired by the Astros as their general manager in January 2020.

Early life

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Click is from Durham, North Carolina.[1] He graduated from Yale University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. After he graduated, Click wrote for Baseball Prospectus, helping to maintain their PECOTA algorithm.[2][3]

Career

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Tampa Bay Rays

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After being recommended by Chaim Bloom, who worked with Click at Baseball Prospectus,[3] Click joined the Tampa Bay Rays as an intern in 2005, and the team hired him for their front office in 2006.[4] He was promoted to vice president of baseball operations in 2017.[5]

Houston Astros

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In January 2020, the Houston Astros hired Click as their general manager following the dismissal of Jeff Luhnow.[2] In 2022, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give Click his first career World Series championship.[6] After his contract expired after the 2022 season, Click rejected a one-year contract offer from the Astros and the team announced that they would move on without Click.[7]

Toronto Blue Jays

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On February 27, 2023, the Toronto Blue Jays hired James Click as vice president, baseball strategy.

Personal life

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Click's wife, Ace Padian, also graduated from Yale in 2000. The couple has two children.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Field Level Media (October 21, 2018). "Astros hire ex-Rays exec James Click as GM | Sports". unionleader.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Rome, Chandler (January 30, 2020). "Astros hire Rays' James Click as general manager". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "A dorm room dream come true". February 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "Rays' James Click interviews for Astros general manager job".
  5. ^ Pickman, Ben (January 31, 2020). "James Click: Astros hire new GM to replace Jeff Luhnow". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Rome, Chandler (November 5, 2022). "Undisputed: 'It proves we're the best team in baseball ... They have nothing to say now.'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  7. ^ McTaggart, Brian (November 11, 2022). "World Series champ Astros, GM James Click part ways". MLB.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.