ORLANDO – Being the scouting director of the Boston Red Sox in 2018 when they won a World Series is something Devin Pearson will treasure for a lifetime.
Yet, the former Carmel High three-sport athlete felt a bit unfufilled. While his World Series ring still sparkles, Pearson felt his role in the title run was minimal.
“I was proud,” Pearson said. “But I felt like I didn’t contribute that much. My goals changed. I wanted to play a bigger role in building a champion.”
Having been a quarterback in football, a point guard in basketball and a leadoff hitter in baseball at Carmel, Pearson will be a little of each moving forward.
The 31-year-old Pearson is part of an organizational overhaul in the nation’s capital, as he was hand-picked by team president Paul Toboni to be the Washington Nationals’ new assistant general manager.
“My goal when I got into this was to learn as much as I could,” Pearson said. “I wanted to see if it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my career. My goals have shifted.”
Devin Pearson (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox)
Pearson and Toboni have a history, having worked closely together when both were a part of the Red Sox organization in preparing for the Major League Baseball amateur draft. Both are also Cal graduates, separated by a year.
“We’ve remained good friends,” said Pearson, a two-time Herald Male Athlete of the Year. “Over time, I was able to connect with him and got an opportunity to join him. I have been lucky to work with him since I got into baseball in 2017.”
Pearson, who is in Orlando for the Winter Baseball Meetings, will oversee player development for Washington, as well as evaluate potential trades and free agents.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a different realm, but a different area of baseball operations,” Pearson said. “It’s definitely a new challenge. It’s been a whirlwind the last few weeks.”
Pearson, who was drafted in 2012 by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school, but opted to play baseball at Cal, spent eight years in the Red Sox organization.
“It was a difficult decision given my time in Boston,” Pearson said. “I was proud of the work we have done there. I just felt this was the right fit for me in the long run. I’m super excited for the opportunity.”
One of only four athletes in Monterey County to be named to The Herald’s all-county football, baseball and basketball teams while at Carmel, Pearson will have a more hands-on role in decision making.
“We believe development continues at the big leagues,” Pearson said. “I will be overseeing trade decisions and rosters for all of our levels, as well as our Dominican team.”
The Nationals, who have finished last in the National League’s Eastern Division four of the past five years, were 66-96 last season, hiring 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new manager.
The franchise hasn’t had a winning season since capturing its first and only World Series in 2019 behind current Mets slugger Juan Soto.
With the hiring of Pearson, 31, and Toboni, 32, back in September, the Nationals will have one of the youngest front offices in Major League Baseball.
“We’re a young group in general,” Pearson said. “We all bring unique skill sets. Our group is very connected and like-minded. That’s what made this job so exciting.”
The overhauling of the franchise includes multiple positions in the organization, as 60-plus openings have come up in the off-season since Toboni took over in September.
Devin Pearson, shown here against Salinas in 2011, helped lead Carmel to the CCS Division IV championship in 2009. (Monterey Herald archive)
“The first order of business was starting with the foundation,” Pearson said. “The people who were retained have been great. It’s a group that’s pretty aligned in what we believe in.”
In an era where ownership often has a short leash in terms of building a champion, the feeling is that the Nationals will be given time to erase six years of failure.
“We have been pretty clear in our vision that our building process can sustain winning at the big league level,” Pearson said. “Paul talks about building player development and a scouting monster.”
While there are needs coming into the season for the Nationals to get out of the basement in the National League East, last year’s roster was one of the youngest in baseball.
“We’re super lucky to have a group of younger players that are talented,” said Pearson, who recently got engaged. “We filled a need at catcher in the off-season. Now it’s about building around them and setting us up for long-term success.”
Pearson helped Carmel to eight league titles in three different sports over four years, including the program’s first Central Coast Section Division IV football title. He was part of Cal’s run to the NCAA Regionals in 2015.
During his eight seasons in Boston as a scouting director, the Red Sox have five of their last eight No. 1 picks currently in the major leagues.
“You understand what habits and systems have to be in place to win,” Pearson said. “We’re trying to take what we learned in Boston and add on to it here. I have been in an environment where winning is an expectation. We know how. We know what challenges we are facing.”