Ex-Diamondbacks executive Jerry Dipoto regrets passing on Chris Sale

Mistakes made in the draft room still keep Jerry Dipoto up at night – and that includes an ill-fated selection the Diamondbacks made in the 2010 draft that still reverberates within the organization. That decision: passing on left-hander Chris Sale.

Sale was still on the board when the Diamondbacks’ selection came up at No. 6 overall that year, but they instead took Texas A&M right-hander Barret Loux, whom they never signed due to injury concerns.

Dipoto, speaking at the SABR Analytics Conference in downtown Phoenix on Friday, took the blame, saying he went against the opinion of his scouting staff by pushing for Loux. He said he’s learned from the mistake and believes he is a better baseball executive as a result.

“The (mistakes) that really gnaw at me and I still wake up thinking about are the ones in the draft,” said Dipoto, who in 2010 was overseeing the draft in his role as vice president of scouting and player development. “Where you had a scout or multiple scouts in the room telling you, ‘This is the guy.’ You know, ‘We should take Chris Sale.’ We should have.”

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It is hard to overstate the significance of that decision in recent franchise history. Sale, who was drafted 13th overall by the Chicago White Sox, has developed into one of the top pitchers in baseball, an ace starter who has logged more than 1,100 career innings with a 3.00 ERA and has finished in the top six in Cy Young voting five consecutive seasons.

Sale’s value was so high this past offseason that the Red Sox parted with two of the top prospects in baseball, infielder Yoan Moncada and right-hander Michael Kopech, to acquire him.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, never signed Loux after questions arose following a physical exam, and with the compensation pick they received the following year they took right-hander Archie Bradley, who is still working to establish himself as a major-league starter.

Dipoto, who is now the Seattle Mariners’ GM, was speaking on a panel with Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen. They were asked to recall mistakes they made early in their careers and how they grew from them. Dipoto talked about how he has learned “not to run renegade on a group” or allow his voice to “overwhelm the opinion of the group.”

“It’s never more apparent than it is in the draft,” he continued. “Every year in June, when we go through the June draft as we’re sitting there in the room, I think I am smarter than every single scout who is talking about a player. And then after the draft is over I realize I was the dumbest person in the room. All too often, in my early years in monitoring the draft or overseeing the draft, I pushed a player in the wrong direction.

“Hopefully, I’m a better, smarter executive for the mistakes that I’ve made. I had some draft picks that just bombed.”

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Dipoto, who played a significant role in the club’s drafts from 2009-11, made several moves that worked out well for the club during his three-month tenure as interim GM, acquiring right-hander Daniel Hudson and lefties Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs at the trade deadline in July 2010.

He went on to spend parts of four seasons as the Los Angeles Angels’ GM before taking over for the Mariners in September 2015.

Short hops

• Outfielder Yasmany Tomas was out of the lineup for the second consecutive day. Manager Torey Lovullo said Tomas is dealing with “aggravation in the low back area” but did not seem to consider the injury serious.
• Right-hander Zack Greinke’s next start will come in a minor league game at 10 a.m. Monday. The Diamondbacks have an off day but the club wants to keep him on schedule to start Opening Day.
• Right-hander Shelby Miller also will pitch in a minor-league game on Sunday, with right-hander Archie Bradley starting the big-league game against the Giants.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.