Boston filled their open General Manager's position on Monday, signing Theo Epstein to a three-year contract. Epstein was always in the wings as the person the Red Sox were grooming to eventually take over as GM, however few suspected he'd receive the position now due to his age. Nevertheless, after an exhaustive process in which Boston found themselves snubbed by the candidates they most wanted and unhappy with the leftovers, the Red Sox decided to promote the 28-year-old now rather than later, making Epstein the youngest GM in baseball history.

At 28, the young man has ascended to a position that, despite the lack of interest shown by some of the candidates the Red Sox pursued, is one of the most prestigious general managerships in the game. Given his youth, he faces more than the average number of questions about his qualifications. However Epstein has devoted himself to a front office career for the last decade.

Epstein mentioned he'd been working in baseball for 12 years, but the first position we have a record of him holding was as a summer intern with the Orioles while he attended Yale as an undergrad in 1992. He acquired the position through a series of Yale contacts. Working in the Public Relations department, he caught the eye of Larry Lucchino. After graduating, Epstein followed Lucchino to San Diego, where he spent two years in media relations and two years as a baseball operations assistant while also acquiring his law degree from the University of San Diego. With these new credentials, Epstein took a step up to Director of Baseball Operations, a position he filled in 2000 and 2001.

Epstein came to Boston from San Diego prior to last season when Larry Lucchino, who is a part of the new ownership group, left the Padres to take over as President and CEO of the Red Sox. In the past year, Epstein assisted interim GM Mike Port and played a minor role in the search for a replacement, even beginning to negotiate compensation for Billy Beane after Beane briefly accepted the GM job.

Envying Epstein would be a simple task, but he has put in considerable time prior to this appointment despite his young age. During the press conference, he displayed a frank and pleasant manner. His public and media relations background should assist him with that portion of his new duties; that experience likely will also aid him in his player relations, which is one of the major concerns in this situation, as there's always the fear that players won't respect him.

As for his approach to the game, he definitely seems to have brought a strong set of ideas with him to his new position. Epstein wants to keep the Red Sox perennially competitive but his goal is clearly to win a World Series for the Red Sox. He has a solid plan for the organization in which he intends to continue to emphasize traditional scouting of players while also looking at their statistical profiles, something with which recently hired advisor Bill James should help. Epstein commented several times during his press conference that he wanted to build "a scouting and development machine". In fact, before taking questions near the end of his monologue Epstein commented that "I didn't realize this but I think I already promised that we're going to win a World Series, build a scouting and development machine, [and] sustain long-term success."

The young man emphasized that he would not sit aloof from the rest of the front office staff; rather he'll be seeking a wide variety of opinions. I felt Epstein mentioned his desire to solicit advice from his staff a bit too frequently and emphatically, but that seemed to be an effort to dispel concerns about his youth and not an indication of a lack of personal initiative, as he also thoroughly discussed his plans.

My biggest concern was his apparent commitment to manager Grady Little, who I described as easily the worst manager in the AL last season when I discussed the 2002 Managers of the Year. I think Epstein's goal of reaching the playoffs as the first step to the World Series will go unfulfilled in 2003 due to his choice of manager, and if he doesn't make a change after next season, the managerial situation could seriously taint his tenure with the Red Sox.

However I see a lot of promise outside that weakness, particularly if he can follow through on the plans he outlined during the press conference. Opportunity plays a large part in achieving success at such a young age, but it also usually indicates an intelligence and initiative on the part of the successful person. I think Boston fans should expect a bright future with Epstein at the helm.

Looking beyond the Red Sox, Epstein's success or failure has the chance to significantly impact the industry and the way front offices are structured. I've seen comparisons drawn between Epstein and Brian Cashman of the Yankees due to the way Cashman delegates authority. Epstein's player philosophy also sounded very much like that of Oakland. Consequently, we could see the power of a team with money employing sound statistical analysis to their baseball operations.