Q&A with Salem Red Sox GM Allen Lawrence
Exclusive Q&A with Allen Lawrence
Beyond the Monster was granted an exclusive interview with Salem Red Sox General Manager Allen Lawrence on Wednesday ahead of the clubs Opening Day against Delmarva (Orioles Low-A) on Thursday.
Lawrence, who is from the Salem area, has been with the Salem organization since 2002 where he began as an intern. Since that time Lawrence has been in almost every position possible.
Lawrence took over the clubs GM back in 2019.
James: What is the energy like around the ballpark this time of year? Is it exciting? Nerve wrecking? Or is it just peaceful knowing that the season is about to start?
Allen: There is a lot of energy around the park. The offseason is wonderful as that is time that we do all of our planning for the season and, on a personal level, we get most of our nights and weekends to ourselves. The season, however, is what we all live for. There is nothing better than opening the gates for fans to come into the ballpark on Opening Night. The players started arriving on Monday and it seems like Grand Central Station around here when they get here. It is chaotic but in the best way possible!!
James: There are rumors we will see Miguel Bleis and Luis Perales in Salem this year. I know you probably can’t speak much on it, but are able to confirm or deny this rumor?
Allen: Yes, I can confirm that they are here in Salem to start the season.
James: Noah Dean and Dalton Rogers, both of which were selected by the Red Sox last season will start in Salem this year. Is the plan right now for them to brought in as starters or will they be built up slowly after they were relievers in college?
Allen: I am being told they will be in the starting rotation. Between the two of them and Perales (and the others on staff), I think we have a lot to be excited about in terms of pitching this season.
James: Since you’ve been with the Salem organization, you’ve seen numerous top prospects come through the doors. Which player was your favorite to watch and favorite to interact with, and why?
Allen: I have been lucky to see a lot of great ones come through here. I have been here for all of years with Boston so I have seen Anthony Rizzo, Travis Shaw, Xander, Mookie, JBJ, Benintendi, Moncada, Devers, & Tanner Houck as well as many others. Most recently, we have had Nick Yorke, Marcelo Mayer, and Blaze Jordan. Honestly, all of those guys that I just named were so great to work with and interact with. Off the field, Marcelo is as laid back and easy to get along with as anyone we have had in Salem. While it would be hard to pick one guy that was the best to interact with, I think I would have to say Jackie Bradley. He was so incredibly polite and wonderful with our fans and I am not sure there is a more legible autograph in sports than JBJ. My favorite to watch was probably Mookie. He joined our team for a late season push for a league title and sparked our team in a way not many could have. He could just do things most people cannot do on a baseball field.
James: New manager comes in this year for Salem. Do you ever have a say in who gets brought in as the skipper or are those moves and conversations done without you? If you do get involved what do you look for in a potential manager?
Allen: I do not have a say. Just like I do not have a say with the players, I don’t have input with the staff. With that said, we are very lucky to be getting Liam Carroll this season. In the couple days that I have been around him, he is going to be great to work with this season and I am excited to see what he can get out of this group of players.
James: Let’s face it. You’re the face of the Roanoke valley. You’ve been with Salem for 20-plus years, you’ve not been a GM long (2019 I believe you were promoted) … what has it been like clocking in every day at the ballpark knowing this was your full time job? What are some of your favorite memories?
Allen: Yes, I was named the interim GM 4 games into the 2019 season and the “interim” tag was removed in October of 2019. So my first full year as GM was 2020 so that wasn’t the storybook beginning I was looking for!! I learned a lot in 2020 though as our staff got extremely creative. While I would never want to live 2020 over again, we were able to do a lot of positive things for our community. There is no one that loves coming to the ballpark every day that me. Not a day passes that I don’t think about how lucky I am to work in this industry. The days are very long during the season but I get to spend those long days with an incredible staff and at a baseball stadium. Life could be much worse. A lot of my favorite memories come from Opening Days and getting fans back into the ballpark. The first game back in 2021 was extremely memorable. We had 4,000 seats zip-tied (for social distancing reasons) but it was just great to be back. Taught a lot of us not to take anything for granted. When listing favorite memories, it would be hard to not list when we hosted the 2017 Carolina League All Star Game. We nearly had to cancel the HR Derby because of weather but the skies cleared up for us and Eloy Jimenez hit a HR that busted out a light in LF, ala The Natural!! The video went viral on social media that night.
James: Lastly, I know he’s no longer in Salem, but can you give us some insight on what the plans are for Mayer this year in Greenville? And do you think he will remain with Greenville this year or get a promotion to Portland?
Allen: I honestly don’t know what the plans are. For the fans in Greenville, I hope he gets to spend some time there because he is an incredible talent and he is great with the fans, on top of that. I am sure the Red Sox spend a lot of time thinking about how they want to handle his movement up the ladder. Teams like to be cautious with guys that have that much talent to make sure they are developing them in the best possible way. He is the SS of the future in Boston. The question is, how soon will he be there?
First pitch between Salem and Delmarva on Thursday is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
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