Oakland, Calif. Longtime executive Billy Beane is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the company. Oakland Athletics to become a senior advisor to owner John Fischer.
David Forst will lead baseball operations, retaining his title of general manager.
“It’s really as much as I’m taking on a new role, but David is also taking on a responsibility,” Beane said on a conference call Friday. have gained.” “The great thing is, as I’ve said in the past, I’m still a member of the Athletics family. I’m so grateful for John and the relationship we’ve built since taking over ownership.”
The A’s are seeking to build a new ballpark in Oakland and Beane will help with that effort as well as strategic work in a wide range of other areas. He is also free to pursue non-baseball interests such as ownership stakes in professional football clubs abroad and even a cricket team in India.
“Billy is and always will be an Athletic. He is a trusted advisor to me and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him on strategic initiatives that impact our club,” said Fischer. “This position at the ownership level allows Billy to pursue other non-baseball sports interests while continuing to play an important role with the A’s and me.”
Will lead the First A to a 102-loss first year under manager Mark Kotse.
“I personally owe a lot to Billy. I think sports and industry do the same,” Forst said. “I think so much has changed about who’s working in baseball over the last 20-plus years, it has a lot to do with how the game is evaluated, how we look at things.”
The 2011 film “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt focused on the low-budget A’s 2002 version as Beane and a thrilling 20-game winning streak. Ultimately, Oakland lost in the first round of the playoffs. The film was adapted from the 2003 best seller by Michael Lewis, detailing Beane’s unorthodox methods and management style in running the ballclub.
The A’s continued to trade their top players, unable to sign their top free agents given their financial constraints.
“There’s no denying the impact ‘Moneyball’ and Billy’s high profile have had on how we operate in baseball now and how the sport is viewed,” Forst said.
Data Source www.espn.com
