On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Los Angeles Angels named Arizona Diamondbacks executive Jerry DiPoto as the team’s new general manager. He replaces Tony Reagins, who remains with the team as a special assistant.

I think this is a great hire for the Angels. DiPoto has been involved with Major League Baseball as either a player or executive since 1989, and has proven himself as a solid candidate for the job. He’s one of the men responsible for the Diamondbacks’ worst-to-first turnaround from the 2010 season to this year.

DiPoto was the senior vice president for scouting and player development for Arizona, which should mean something for Angels fans. This is what DiPoto specializes in. The Angels have struggled to develop some of its recent top prospects (Brandon Wood(notes) comes to mind), and the farm system itself is no longer the well full of talent it used to be. DiPoto will be responsible for reversing this trend. The Angels have their share of aging veterans, especially in the outfield, and talent needs to be developed from within the organization to take their place.

Given his track record with the Diamondbacks, I’m excited to see what DiPoto can do with a team that will be able to give him more financial backing to do his job. I would think he’d also have a say in filling the other open front-office positions, including farm director and assistant GM. In other words, DiPoto will have an opportunity to completely reshape the Angels’ system.

Some fans may argue that there isn’t a need to re-vamp the Angels front office, but I think the team’s results on the field in the past two years show something different. The club hasn’t been awful by any means, but the Angels have played below expectations for the payroll they carry. Their system has become stale, and even though the team has youngsters Mike Trout(notes) and Mark Trumbo(notes) developed and ready to perform at the Major League-level, changes need to be made.

The truth is the Angels don’t have the income to maintain the payroll they’ve had in the past few years. They need to develop from within if the Angels are ever going to win another World Series. Signing over-priced free agents isn’t the answer. I believe the club acknowledged that when they chose DiPoto instead of someone known for wheeling and dealing for veterans.

The Angels made a good decision with DiPoto, and I can’t wait to see how well he does preparing the team for the future. I predict he’ll have an outstanding career leading the team’s front office.

Derek Ciapala has been a fan of the Angels since childhood. His favorite Angels moment is when they won the 2002 World Series in seven games over the San Francisco Giants. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

A person with knowledge of the hire says the Los Angeles Angels have chosen Jerry Dipoto to be their new general manager. / AP

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Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton was among those honored Thursday by being named to the Sporting News National League All-Star Team.

Voted on by by 55 members of major-league front offices, twenty-six American League executives and 29 National League executives, Sporting News released its 2011 AL and NL All-Star teams.

Upton was joined in the outfield by Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp, who was the only unanimous selection in the NL, and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who received 28 votes.

Kemp’s teammate Clayton Kershaw was named the starting pitcher. The Brewers’ Prince Fielder was selected as the NL’s starting first baseman. A pair of Atlanta Braves also made the lineup: catcher Brian McCann and rookie reliever Craig Kimbrel.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki rounded out the NL infield.

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, chosen as the AL team’s starting pitcher, was the only unanimous selection in the AL. He was joined by teammate Alex Avila at catcher. The New York Yankees had three starters on the team: center fielder Curtis Granderson, second baseman Robinson Cano and reliever Mariano Rivera.

Granderson received 25 votes, as did fellow outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox and Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. Rounding out the AL lineup are Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

(WSCR) Adult actress Bibi Jones admitted that a professional sports agent used her to recruit potential clients after Arizona Diamondbacks games in 2010.

Jones, who has come into the spotlight after she posted two pictures of her and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on her Twitter account Monday, admitted  that she had slept with over 10 guy brought to her by the agent, but says she was not paid to have sex with them.

“It wasn’t even expected for me to hook up with these guys,” she said. “It was just like I was arm candy for him. I was the one that wanted to hook up with these guys.”

 Kirk Gibson was named the National League manager of the year by “The Sporting News” on Monday, the first of what could be multiple awards for the Diamondbacks’ manager.

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Profile: Kirk Gibson

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 In his first full season as a manager, Gibson presided over a club that went from 97 losses in 2010 to 94 wins and a division title in 2011, and many say his hard-nosed demeanor rubbed off on his team, which became known for its penchant for comeback victories.

 The award was voted on by 11 National League managers. Twelve American League managers voted Tampa Bay’s Joe Maddon as the AL winner.

 Gibson is expected to be a runaway winner of the more prestigious manager of the year award handed out by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The winner of that award will be announced Nov. 16.

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