By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NEW YORK - Until he is introduced as Reds general manager Monday, Dan O'Brien could walk through Fountain Square at noon and not be recognized.

O'Brien is one of the faceless, nameless people who staff baseball operations around the major leagues. Most fans would have an easier time naming the 25th man on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays roster than listing the top assistant GMs.

Omar Minaya was the best known of the Reds' finalists because he got the bump to the top job with the Montreal Expos. But, around baseball, O'Brien, and the third finalist Wayne Krivsky, are well-known.

O'Brien, the assistant GM in Texas, will be named to succeed Jim Bowden on Monday.

"(O'Brien) has worked his behind off for a long time," ESPN's Peter Gammons said. "When Doug Melvin was the GM with the Rangers, he said Dan was completely overqualified."

O'Brien is particularly well-known to baseball insiders because his father, Dan Sr., served as general manager of the Rangers and was a long-time minor league executive.

"(Dan Jr.) grew up around the game," Gammons said. "He's knows all the book stuff, but he's also a pretty good judge of baseball talent."

O'Brien, 49, has worked in the Seattle, Houston and Texas organizations. The bulk of his career - 15 years - was spent with Houston.

"He's worked with some really good people," said Tim Kurkijan of ESPN. "He's worked in an organization that had a lot of money to spend and one that didn't, so he knows how to operate both ways."

Those who worked with O'Brien in Texas give him high marks for integrity and honesty. O'Brien is friendly and outgoing. But he's also businesslike - he's rarely seen without a coat and jacket. He had a good relationship with the media in Houston and Arlington.

O'Brien worked summers for his father's clubs all the way through college.

"He's got a really good baseball background," Kurkijan said. "He's seen all those teams through the years."

There are a lot of people in O'Brien's position that never get a shot at being a GM.

"He deserves a shot," Kurkjian said. "Some different people deserve chances. That isn't to say the old-school GMs don't have anything to offer."

O'Brien faces a difficult challenge. The Reds are in the early stages of rebuilding. They need strong player development to do that. But the farm system hasn't produced the pitching needed to stay competitive. The Astros, where O'Brien headed the scouting and player development department, have a fine record of churning out quality pitchers. O'Brien's challenge is to get the Reds to that point quickly.

"(O'Brien) has a lot of good experience," said Kevin Kennedy, a former manager now with Fox Sports. "I'm sure he wants to put that to use. I've heard good things about him."

O'Brien's first business is to hire a manager. O'Brien will also be able to hire a handful of scouts and front office personnel, although the Reds have a lot of their top people under contract.