Billy Beane

Billy Beane

William Lamar Beane III is the executive vice president of baseball operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. Beane played in MLB from 1984 to 1989 as an outfielder for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics. He also owns Barnsley FC of the EFL Championship in England and AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands.

About Billy Beane in brief

Summary Billy BeaneWilliam Lamar Beane III is the executive vice president of baseball operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. Beane played in MLB from 1984 to 1989 as an outfielder for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics. He is the subject of Michael Lewis’s 2003 book on baseball economics, Moneyball, which was made into a 2011 film starring Brad Pitt as Beane. In his front-office career, Beane has applied statistical analysis to baseball, which has led teams to reconsider how they evaluate players. As general manager of the Athletics from 1997 to 2015, he was promoted to executive vice-president after the 2015 season. He also owns Barnsley FC of the EFL Championship in England and AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. His father, a naval officer, taught him how to pitch. He was a first-round pick in the MLB draft by the Mets, but failed to meet the expectations of scouts, who projected him as a star. He chose to sign with the Mets for a US$125,000 signing bonus. He gave up football to avoid an injury that could prematurely end his baseball career. He played for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in 1987 and 1988.

He appeared in 12 games for the Minnesota Twins in 1987 after spring training. The Minnesota Twins traded Beane to the Detroit Tigers after the 1987 season for Tim Teufel and Pat Crosby. The Twins traded him to Portland after the 1988 season for Joe Klinklink and Bill Latham. He has also played in minor league baseball for the Toledo Mudens of the International League and the San Diego Tides of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. He batted. 285 for the Tides in 1985, leading the team with 19 home runs and 77 runs batted in. As a scout for the Athletics in 1990, he became the team’s general manager after the 1997 season, and was named general manager in 2000. He joined the Athletics’ front office as a scout in 1990 and was the general manager from 2000 to 2001. He became a minority owner in the Athletics after the 2007 season. Beanes is also the owner of Barnsleys FC in England, and the AZ AlKmaar of the Dutch EredIVisie. He plays for the Oakland A’s’ Triple-A affiliate, the San Jose A’s, in the Arizona Fall League. Beaney is a member of the San Francisco Giants’ coaching staff.