Braves hire Dean Decillis as special assistant to the general manager, per report

The Braves are hiring Dean Decillis as special assistant to the general manager, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided.

Decillis, 55, is a long-time baseball scout and talent evaluator after playing a handful of minor league seasons with the Tigers in the late 70s and early 80s. He has bounced around a couple of front offices, most recently the Toronto Blue Jays, where he discovered Alejandro Kirk, among others. Here’s an excerpt from a great Sportsnet article on Decillis’ scouting acumen:

“Decillis carries an iron-clad reputation. He’s scouted both professional and amateur, which has strengthened his perspective on what it takes to play in the majors. He’s scouted every level of the minor leagues and has comprehensive international experience, including Latin America and Asia.”

With Dana Brown leaving Atlanta for the Houston general manager position, it makes sense for Alex Anthopoulos to add a veteran scout to his front office mix. The high school and college baseball seasons are right around the corner and the draft is just five months away.