Jed Hoyer ’96 was recently named general manager of the San Diego Padres. Hoyer, who had been in the Red Sox organization since 2002 where he worked as the assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox, will take the reins of the Padres from longtime GM Kevin Towers, who had served in that capacity since 1995.

“I was very impressed,” said Padres CEO Jeff Moorad in a San Diego Union-Tribune article announcing Hoyer’s hiring. “You couldn’t help but be impressed with his attention to detail and thoroughness.”

“Jed was by no means our favorite or a target the first time we met,” Moorad added in the article. “But after time, it became clear he was the right man for the job. I kept measuring other people against him, and Jed was always first. This was the logical choice, without a doubt. I believe we found a person with a tremendous baseball pedigree.”

Before going to the Red Sox, Hoyer served as an Assistant Dean of Admissions and Special Assistant to the Vice President of University Relations at Wesleyan from 1997 to 2000. He also served as an assistant baseball coach at Wesleyan during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. During his time with the Red Sox, Hoyer briefly served as co-GM, along with Ben Cherington, in the fall of 2005 following GM Theo Epstein’s temporary departure from the team.

Hoyer was a standout on the diamond during his time at Wesleyan, and he was a key member of the 1994 team that advanced to the College World Series. Hoyer did not allow a run in eight appearances on the mound for the 1994 team and also led the club with three saves, including the final three outs of a 6-3 win over Carthage College that put Wesleyan within two wins of the NCAA title. Hoyer also batted .333 as the starting left fielder for the 1994 team, the second-highest average among regulars behind right fielder Will Brandenburger ’95 (.402).

In his four years in Middletown, Hoyer, who moved to shortstop in 1995 following the graduation of current head coach Mark Woodworth ’94, played in 102 games, starting 90. His 123 hits in 338 at-bats rank 18th on the all-time list and give him a career average of .364. In his career, Hoyer mashed 22 doubles, four triples, and two home runs. He stole 36 bases in 43 attempts. He also made 34 appearances on the mound, including nine starts (two of which were complete games). He struck out 59 and walked 36 in 109 2/3 innings of work, giving up 30 earned runs (40 overall) for a 2.46 career ERA. He posted a 7-1 career record, and his seven saves in 1996 and 11 career saves both stand as Wesleyan records. Hoyer was selected as a third-team all-New England Division III honoree by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in 1995 and received second-team laurels in 1996. He was also named a Jewish All-American by the Jewish Post & Opinion twice.

Hoyer, a native of Plymouth, N.H. and lifelong Red Sox fan, inherits a team that won back-to-back NL West titles in 2005 and 2006, but has recently stumbled, losing 99 games in 2008 and missing the playoffs the last three seasons. Last season, the Padres finished fourth in the division with a 75-87 record.

Hoyer had interviewed for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ GM job in 2007 and the same position with the Washington Nationals earlier this year. He declined an opportunity to be interviewed by the Seattle Mariners in 2008. He signed a four-year contract with the Padres with a club option for a fifth year. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.