Tom Lifsey Named GM, Takes Control of Smokies

When Asheville made wholesale changes in the front office after last season, fans were left wondering in which direction their favorite club would head. The hiring of Tom Lifsey simply led to more questions.

"I'm the new kid on the block. I know that I've got a lot to prove to you," conceded Lifsey. "When you take over a ballclub, you don't have an offseason. There are signings, trades, meetings, arbitration, drafting the right young players. It's a year-round job. There's a lot of positives here. We're going to try to build on those and field the best team we can."