 our congratulations on the new job and I'm curious because pictures and catchers report little over a month from now how fast you have to just jump in and get things going with the Yankees. Well that's a great question and first of all thank you for having me here but I'm excited to be with the Yankees, excited to be able to work as you saw Brian Savian and you know Brian Caspin of course who's a friend and the staff that's put together there we're all the people with Gene Afterman and everybody else and Jim Hendry but you know it takes time. I've been in an organization you know it takes a little bit of time to kind of be able to get adapted to the organization what I want to probably be doing early on is going to be listening a lot but here we are getting close to spring training and you know that the Major League team and of course you know I've been because of the past couple of years being in New York I've seen the team I've been able to keep an eye on the team follow the team but you know what I do is not only Major League but it's also minor leagues and scouting it's gonna take a little bit of time but you know what an organization like the Yankees that's been run so well for so many years I feel pretty comfortable it'll take some time but it won't take that long for me to adapt to it. Omar you did a Zoom conference call this afternoon where you mentioned that Brian Cashman had courted you in the past and it tried to get you to work for the Yankees in the past what made the timing right about signing on with the Yankees this time? Well Jack like we were talking before it to me the timing was with you know Cash you know has always had interest in me working for him but you know really the last he asked permission in March I turned it down not so much because of the Yankees not so much because for me it's an honor to work with the Yankees is that I had committed to Major League Baseball to the commissioner's office to be involved in a lot of their new initiatives it was early on you know baseball the commissioner's office had a lot of great new initiatives domestically you're talking about the combine that was a success in saying Diego you're talking about college pre-draft leagues post-draft leagues college leagues and then of course the thing that was really hanging over that was the international draft as you know the last agreement basic agreement there was a quote for you know they put a they table the the international draft till July or late July and I was working on that and I still feel comfortable and good that I'm still working on that for Major League Baseball but it wasn't the right time for me to leave Major League Baseball because I committed to them and I didn't want to leave them and committing to them in all the projects that were being done having the great opportunity to work with you know with the people in Major League with Morgan's Ward with John the Angelo's and Rebecca Cecil it's it was I couldn't do that at the time well so many folks know you've had so many important jobs but I do want to focus on last year everything that you've just said working with Major League Baseball you're a guy that's willing to learn how could that even help the Yankees or impact them in 2023 and beyond well I think you're right I think it's very important the way the game is today a lot of the things that are you know especially the Commissioners office a lot of the things that are being done initiatives and all those things I think they can be of help for me in helping the Yankees I think that knowledge of you know of how the system works and you know there's a lot of you know the game is more centralized right now as far as scouting and development but that's been going on for many times whether it's combined and you know all these things even though combines in baseball you've only been gone out for two years but for me I feel that you know having that broad experience that versatile experience can be of help for the Yankees Omar you started your career as a scout with the Texas Rangers you were instrumental in signing Sammy Sosa we know how the game has changed what are some of the keys for an organization to be able to blend in scouting with analytics I think both I think both I think I think the question is no how do you use the information you know what how much weight you give the information to certain areas I think I think it's a good I think it's great that the game has so much knowledge we have so much you know knowledge as far as data are not some places the data may be you know less important than others you know I think baseball is in a great space right now of combining data combining the human element and I'm listening there's no doubt I am a traditional scout but I am also one that I've been around and I've been I've hired so I think some pretty good data people and I don't like throwing names around but I can't help but throw TJ backward names around who's the head guy for the Milwaukee Bucks and he was with a match for many years I just think there's so many so many good young people in the game good young minds in the game you know and the blend of that bringing that together is this is why you see successful organization I think when you look at the successful ones right now I think the Yankees are one when you look how many Wednesday one I think you look at the Dodgers I think you look at the Braves I think you look at a Houston their organizations that they don't you don't lean one way or the other you can't lean one way or the other interesting you could but I don't think that's smart so let me ask you this it sounds like a simple question what makes a good scout but beyond that you're a great talent evaluator I don't want you to teach your own horn necessarily but simply put what makes a great scout well I'm gonna tell you what I was taught by so very senior guys they say you know what makes a good scout when you when you pick a player the player can play you have another player for me the next day the scouts are the ones that keep on giving you players and I'm telling you what how a lot of over the years I've signed some good ones but most of the time if you honest with yourself is when you that player doesn't panned out you better have another one and have the guts to say I got like this guy that's what makes a good scout Omar you have prided yourself at times as being the guy who you said is the contrarian in the room maybe has the opinion that some of the other people sitting at the table don't have how important it is to be that person and when you do have the contrary opinion to make sure you still push hard for it well I think the key to that jack is simple okay you can only have so many contrarians in the room so yes I've been a contrarian I've been you know Jack I've always taken pride I mean over the years whether it was recommending a team or team or Perez that nobody expected that or Melvin Mora or you know whether it's going to be a you know I'm trying to think of guys that over the years that were guys that were off the beat and track guys that were the you know at the end of the day you know you take Jake you take Jake the grom in the six round those things are off you know contrarians ideas you take it he was his shortstopping you make him a pitcher you know and for me the most contrarians idea of all and it's a great story for me and it's not that we were smart it's just sometimes you're lucky it's already dicky I mean I think he was like though he was the 11th pitcher on a 10-man staff and with the matching triple A ended up having a great career after that yeah that worked out great the grom obviously did and I'm glad you brought him up or more because he's now with the Texas Rangers after moving there in the offseason they've made some tremendous signings and moves we know the Astros have been a challenge for the Yankees Blue Jays have made some solid moves how do you think the Yankees this this offseason have positioned themselves going into 2023 I think outstanding I think I said he first of all it's a 99 win team let's be honest and let's listen when you look back at the Yankees I mean it's a 99 win team and then the bullpen went south injuries for Booney to win 99 game for that front office to keep it together I mean earlier on and guys remember we were talking about this team being you know the 98 Yankees and they got hurt so that team got hurt at 199 game that don't get me wrong but I think the acquisitions that have been done I think when you look at first of all you got judge signed and then you you add on down to the mix and I think you know listen it's about pitching I'm a big believer you went with pitching and I think the game you got to be athletic I think the baiter having baiter or the team of all year helps because listen I was I remember talking to cash throughout the years and my god you know you're keeping this guy in center field judging center field you know all year you this guy all it takes is one tweak big body and now you're gonna have you're gonna have judging right you got baiter so I like the team I still believe pitching and I believe in talking to cashmen that the team has not done in acquiring talent then acquiring but to me if we get that bullpen back the way it was the first half watch out