The Boston Red Sox are cleaning house. After a disappointing season, we’re ramping up for the 2020 season. Paul Toboni and Devin Pearson have been promoted.
The Boston Red Sox announced several internal front office changes, according to MassLive’s Christoper Smith. Mike Rikard was promoted to Vice President of Scouting. Paul Toboni was promoted to director of amateur scouting and Devin Pearson was promoted to assistant director of amateur scouting.
Toboni has grown within the Red Sox organization. After acting as a Baseball Operations Intern with the Oakland Athletics, he joined in 2015 as an Intern of Baseball Operations. He then moved into the role of amateur scout in northern Texas and northern Louisiana.
From 2017-2019, he was promoted to assistant director of amateur scouting. The 28-year-old has spent three years as an assistant and will be gaining more responsibilities.
Taboni was born on February 8, 1990. He attended the University of California, Berkeley where he gained a B.A. in Political Economics. He later attended the University of Notre Dame where he obtained an MBA with a specialization in Finance and Analytics.
Toboni played as an infielder with Cal when the school decided to cut funding to baseball, gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, and rugby in 2010 to save money. It was a change that impacted 160 students and 13 full-time coaches. He does have ties to baseball as his father played with the New York Mets.
His playing experience, his father’s experience in MLB, and his education give him a well-rounded background. Toboni has a specialization in Finance and Analytics which can hopefully be a positive addition to the Red Sox organization. Considering the salary cap issues that we are experiencing, Toboni is the perfect fit for the Director of Amateur Scouting role.
Pearson will be moving up to the position of Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting. He took a very unique path that ultimately brought him into the world of baseball. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in American Studies.
Pearson and Toboni both have a connection to the University of California. Pearson was entering his first year when Toboni was in his last year at the school. Both men played on the baseball team. In 2016, Pearson received his Real Estate License.
Pearson gained experience working in Sponsorships and as the Head of Sports Marketing for Jumper Media before moving to scout. He has been with the Red Sox organization for over two years. During this time he has worked in the Baseball Operations and Assistant of Amateur Scouting before moving into his new position as Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting.
Pearson was born on January 10, 1994. He was drafted in the 2012 draft from High School by the Toronto Blue Jays but opted not to play. Devin played as an outfielder with the University of California, Berkeley for four seasons.
He played in 185 games, accumulated 179 hits, 75 RBIs, 28 stolen bases with a .284 BA, .378 OBP, .404 OBP, and .404 SLG. Pearson’s career ended as the result of limited duties due to a shoulder injury.
More from Red Sox News
- Boston Red Sox setting Trevor Story up for failure amidst Xander Bogaert departure
- Red Sox missed perfect free-agent signing to torment Yankees
- Red Sox finally get validation after Andrew Benintendi-White Sox contract
- Red Sox fans’ concern about Justin Turner signing speaks volumes
- Latest Red Sox-Rafael Devers contract update might be final straw for fans
Devin was named two-time all-state and baseball MVP at Carmel High School. He was gifted in both baseball and football. Devin’s father, Dennis Pearson, played football for the Atlanta Falcons. Devin committed to play football at Stanford.
The head coach, however, got hired as a coach with the Raiders. With the change in coaching, the new coach brought in new players and Devin did not have a place to play. He made the decision to transition over to playing baseball. Pearson picked Cal based on the education that he would gain at the school and the proximity to home.
Pearson was referred to the Red Sox by another U.C. alum who was working as assistant director of amateur scouting. Pearson enters the role with personal experience in the draft process.
Pearson has his own unique portfolio. In his role as Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting, he will be working closely with Toboni. The two paired together will act as a ying-yang relationship. Pearson brings his own playing and draft experience to the table. His background in sponsorship and marketing will provide him a unique advantage to help out in other areas of the team as well.
With the recent firing of Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox have changed their front office staff around to reflect the new direction that they will be heading. The men listed above were all internal promotions, showcasing the talent that is already within the organization. The Sox have young, talented minds operating behind the scenes. Hopefully, they can continue to grow in the organization and improve the current team status.