Diamondbacks fire GM Byrnes, manager Hinch

Baseball Betting Lines

07/02/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Josh Byrnes have been fired by the Arizona Diamondbacks amidst a 31-48 record to begin the 2010 season.

In the interim, Jerry Dipoto will take over the general manager duties, while Kirk Gibson will be the manager for the remainder of the season.

"I appreciate the commitment and dedication that Josh and A.J. demonstrated during their tenures," managing general partner Ken Kendrick said. "Their dismissal is a significant decision, but one that we find necessary in order to achieve a direction of winning consistently on the field again. We have a number of talented players, but obviously see great room for improvement. We look forward to bringing permanence to these two baseball leadership roles."

Hinch, 36, had previously been the team's vice president of player development and was in his first-ever managerial role on any level. He took over last May after the dismissal of Bob Melvin, but could never get the team on track.

The Diamondbacks, who were in the NLCS under Melvin as recently as 2007, went 70-92 last season before stumbling to what is on pace to be the team's second- worst record in its short history.

Byrnes had served as the team's general manager since 2005, when he was hired at the age of 35. He had recently been given an eight-year extension through the 2015 season.

Hinch, meanwhile, had a contract that ran through 2012. He becomes the third manager to be fired this year after the Orioles canned Dave Trembley and the Marlins recently dismissed Fredi Gonzalez. Byrnes is the first GM to be let go in 2010.

"These decisions come as a first and major step in our thorough evaluation of our team," team president Derrick Hall said. "We have all been disappointed in the results over the last few years, and we have come to the conclusion that a change in the leadership of our baseball operations staff is necessary at this time. This franchise has enjoyed tremendous success over the years and we want to get back to our winning ways. The loyal staff of this organization, as well as all of our fans, hopes for and deserves better results on the field."

Dipoto has been with the team since 2006 and was the vice president of player personnel for the past two seasons before this promotion. Prior to his front office stint in Arizona, he served a similar role in Colorado and Boston. He has eight years of major league playing experience with Cleveland, the Mets and Colorado from 1993-2000.

Gibson, who has been the bench coach since 2007, also served in that role with the Tigers from 2003-05. A former major league outfielder, Gibson won two World Series titles during a 17-year career with Detroit, the Dodgers, Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

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