| Farhan Zaidi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | General Manager |
| Years active | 2005 - present |
| Employer | Los Angeles Dodgers |
Farhan Zaidi is a Canadian-American sports executive of Pakistani descent. He is currently the General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Zaidi was born in Canada and raised in the Philippines.[2] He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate of philosophy (PhD) in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.[3] He briefly worked for the Boston Consulting Group[3] and the Sporting News website between MIT and Berkeley.[2]
While at Berkeley, he read the book Moneyball and it changed his life.[1] He saw a job posting for a baseball operations position with the Oakland Athletics and sent out his resume, beating out 1,000 other applicants for the job.[2] He was a data analysis sabermetrics assistant when he started.[4] His boss with the Athletics, Billy Beane called him "absolutely brilliant" and credited him with the acquisition of Cuban star Yoenis Céspedes.[5]
For the 2013 season he was promoted by the Athletics to the post of Director of Baseball Operations[6] and added Assistant General Manager to his title in 2014.[7]
On November 6, 2014, he was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as their new General Manager.[8]
Zaidi is one of two Muslim executives in Major League Baseball.[5] He is of Pakistani ancestry.[1] He is the first Muslim General Manager of any American pro sports franchise.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Brendan (May 24, 2014). "Oakland A’s executive changing the face of baseball". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b c Hecht Maxwell, Jill (April 19, 2011). "Farhan Zaidi '98". Technology Review. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "AP source: Dodgers hiring A's Farhan Zaidi as GM". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "An Interview with Farhan Zaidi of the Oakland A’s". sabernomics.com. May 25, 2005. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b Slusser, Susan (February 4, 2014). "A's exec GM Farhan Zaidi takes old- and new-school approach". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Exclusive: A’s Director of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi Talks Top Prospects with A’s Farm – Part 1". A's Farm. March 7, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ Lockard, Melissa (February 19, 2014). "Oakland A's Spring Q&A: Farhan Zaidi, Part 1". scout.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Dodgers hire Farhan Zaidi as GM". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
External links[edit]
- Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube
- Athletics bio
- Laurila, David (March 8, 2013). "Sloan Analytics: Farhan Zaidi on A’s Analytics". Fangraphs. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ned Colletti |
Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager 2014–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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