MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Brewers' youth movement is carrying over to the front office.Milwaukee hired 30-year-old David Stearns on Monday to take over as general manager. Stearns replaces Doug Melvin, a baseball lifer who announced last month he was stepping down following a 13-year tenure.Stearns had been with the Houston Astros, where he was in his third season as an assistant to GM Jeff Luhnow. Stearns' responsibilities included overseeing player evaluations, scouting and analytics.
He was also director of baseball operations in Cleveland for two seasons and spent three years working in the commissioner's office."His experience is quite impressive. The fact that he was able achieve all that at a comparatively young age is ... testament to his work ethic and his drive," owner Mark Attanasio said.The Brewers are remaking their roster during a disappointing season that has left them at or near the bottom of the NL Central. Stearns will be older than some of his new players, including 31-year-old outfielder Ryan Braun and 33-year-old closer Francisco Rodriguez."Trust me, I've had plenty of text messages over the last 24 hours that I will age tremendously," Stearns said with a smile.Luhnow wished Stearns success in his new job. Stearns was with the Astros when Milwaukee traded veterans Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers before the July 31 trade deadline for four minor leaguers including outfield prospects Domingo Santana and Brett Phillips."David is a talented baseball executive and was a very valuable part of the Astros organization," Luhnow said. "They are fortunate to have him."A 2007 graduate of Harvard University, Stearns said his part of his vision for the Brewers was for the organization "to be industry leaders and employ best practices."Stearns said his initial impression was manager Craig Counsell was "an impressive guy" and he will take his time evaluating Counsell and the baseball operations department.He was steadfast in his belief the Brewers could return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011, though stopped short of offering a specific timeline."I would have not have come here if I didn't think it was possible to win a World Series in Milwaukee," Stearns said.
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