Billy Beane
Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane IIIis an American former professional baseball player and current front office executive. He is the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. Prior to his front office career, he played in MLB as an outfielder between 1984 and 1989 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics. He joined the Athletics front office as a scout in 1990. He was named general...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth29 March 1962
CityOrlando, FL
CountryUnited States of America
This is the first time since I've been here that we haven't spent the off-season replacing what we've lost. We felt like we were very competitive last year. . . . In particular, when we were healthy, it was a very, very good team. So the idea that we were adding to this group . . . it's a first for us since I've been here as the general manager.
After instructional league, he seemed so far away from being able to compete in a major league game. What a special kid. What a comeback he had last year. No one deserves this more.
Some teams can absorb another guy's contract to get a great player, and we can't do that. It's a huge advantage when you can do stuff like that. Every year I'm asked if we're buyers or sellers, and every year we're both. Just once, it would be nice to buy without selling.
I don't think there's any question, ... that we need Jermaine to be his old self.
Gosh, he's been a part of every major decision we've made since he came over here (in 2001). The better question is, what hasn't he done?
It's best to part ways at this point, ... We were never going to be able to bridge the gap.
The details really weren't that big of a deal from a contractual standpoint. Just a couple of minor details. ... This is ultimately what we wanted to accomplish at the end of the season.
The goal, ... is competitive balance. If there is more competitive balance over the course of this year, I think that will signal that it's a step in the right direction. I'm confident that it will be.
This is a guy whose skill level and his presence in a lineup is undeniable. Even last year, if you look at the impact he had in the brief time he played, his skills are still there. Frank Thomas is a presence.
You could probably get carried away with superlatives when it comes to Frank Thomas. He's arguably one of the greatest offensive players of his generation.
You could get carried away with the superlatives. Not just his power, but his selectivity at the plate. That type of approach can carry over to the other guys in the lineup.