Today the Chicago Cubs added to their impressive front office brain trust with another up-and-comer: Scott Harris.
Harris, 25, comes over after two years as the Coordinator of Major League Operations in the Commissioner’s Office. Before that, he was an intern with the Reds and Nationals. He’s working on an MBA from Columbia, too. Take notes ye desirers of a front office job.
The Director of Baseball Operations – formerly Scott Nelson – wears a variety of hats, including the administrative portion of managing the 40-man roster (like, making sure all of the rules are followed properly), as well as handling other administrative tasks throughout the organization. I get the sense that it tends to be a lower-level front office position (as in, lower than a GM or an Assistant GM), but one that is definitely a part of the front office, if that makes sense. It seems to be a variable position, depending on how the guys at the top want to use your skills.
The position, it seems, is often filled by a young up-and-comer, at least if Theo Epstein’s experience is any guide – before taking over the Red Sox, Epstein made his bones as the Director of Baseball Operations for San Diego under Larry Lucchino.
Best of luck to Harris, and it will be interesting to watch his development in the Cubs’ organization. It seems strange to use that sentence about a front office executive rather than a prospect, but I guess he’s kind of like a front office prospect.
Wonder where his waiver claim tool falls on the scouting scale?
Twenty. Effing. Five.
*sigh*
What’ve you done with your life.
Damn, last year seeing that Epstein made GM at 28 put me into a mid-life crisis. Now…I may just move to Florida and give up.
At the age of 25? Pretty much only drugs.
Things have improved over the last decade+. But I’m still not a member of an MLB FO.
at 23 – I was wrapping up Army duty and starting college (This is when these guys were starting MLB FO internships)
at 25 – Associates degree in hand I kept going for BA
at 28 – Married, kid on the way
at 30 – Cry myself to sleep
when I am 35, though – goodness gracious…I will be halfway to paying off my student loan debt, and I will still be crying myself to sleep
40 – FREE OF STUDENT LOAN DEBT!!!!!!
50 – Maybe actually able to afford a night out without 3 months of budget planning
60 – Go, “Oh Crap” and start saving for retirement
127 – RETIRE!!!!!
If only I had pulled my head outta my butt at 13…
Your trajectory is not that different than mine, other than mine started long ago and we used muskets in basic training …
My unsabermetric projection is at 50 you will be deeply emersed in college debt for the kid and siblings (if any) and won’t get your night out until 60 when it will be a free dinner offered by a retirement planner to enroll you in his money management program to guide your savings as work for the next 67 years …
Aw come on Willllllbuurrrrrr, you must have made a ton of money when you sold Mr. Ed.
Yeah that about sums up my twenties
I had released 3 albums, one of which got 3.5 stars in Rolling Stone, and had a video on MTV. Since then? Meh.
but but but… French ROCKS!
Yes they do
Hahahahahaha!
Thanks for not calling me out for my shameless bragging, guys.
That’s where my thoughts lie. I don’t feel old so much as pathetic and useless. I first heard of Epstein when he was hired by the Red Sox and thought it was pretty cool how young he was, then noticed he was six months younger than me. Then I started thinking about my factory job that I was never going to get promoted. Then I felt sad…
The Cubs clinched the NL East title the night before my 25th birthday, if I recall…
Another Scott!!! One I didn’t know was an option.
This is starting to get pretty freaky. I think something sinister is afoot.
I’m changing my name immediately.
Just call me ScottGoat
I, too, have converted to Scottism.
Nostradamus predicted this.
And Epyer from the East where
tainted stockings play said “Lo, go
and find me all Scotts. Assemble
them in my house. And we shall
vanquish all who tread among the Ivy.”
Great Scott that is great
you mean:
Great Scott that is Scott!
Rise Scott-rades
I’m going to claim being in early on the Scottification of the Cubs. Me and Boomer.
A Scottish tourist attended his first baseball game in the US and after a base hit he hears the fans roaring “Run….Run!”
The next batter line a shot to center and the Scot stands up and roars with the crowd in his thick accent: “R-r-run ya bahstard, r-run will ya!”
A third batter gets a hit and again the Scot, obviously pleased with his knowledge of the game, screams “R-r-run ya bahstard, r-r-run will ya!”
The next batter steadfastly holds his swing four times and as the umpire calls a walk the Scot stands up and yells “R-r-run ya bahstard, r-r-run!”
The surrounding fans giggle quietly and the Scot sits down confused. A friendly fan, sensing his embarrassment, whispers to the Scot, “He doesn’t have to run, he’s got four balls.”
The Scotsman immediately jumps up and screams, “Walk with pr-r-ride man! Walk with pr-r-ride!!!!”
Damn now i feel old, and i’m only 26.
Your comment makes me (31) feel even older.
You are clearly over the hill Brett! I am (30)…sigh
I have t-shirts older than all of you.
My literally, aching back is older than any two of you … so keep the complaining to a minimum … if it goes on to long I forget what everyone is complaing about.
Damnnnn 25 and FO for the CUBS! Geez, at 25 I was a few years away from finishing my last enlistment and now I go to college (this next semester will be taken off to make sure I recovery from the organ donation and frequent trips to San Antonio for surgery and post -op-
What was I thinking playing soldier for a decade I should have been trying to lock on with cubs in some sort of desk job. I’m sure they need somebody to sort their colorful paperclips, highlighters, post its, and such!
At 25, like some future senators, I was still an undergrad.
You, my friend, are held in a much higher regard than Mr. Harris in my mind. I know the pay isn’t the same, but you and all of our young men who sacrificed their adult lives for our country have accomplished far more than a 25 year old who is signed by the Cubs FO. Nothing against Mr. Harris, of course, but props to you.
What Joe said, mysterious4th.
Thanks guys! Believe it or not since I was 5 or so I told my family I was going to join the army. All I wanted to be was a soldier. And at about 7 I started saying I was going to be an MP in the Army. And I guess similar to Theo I lived my dream of being an MP in the US Army just as he probably grew up having a dream with the Red Sox (to me that would be a nightmare, but whatever floats his boat)
He should have dinner at the the Purple Pig- and have his personal namesake chef fix him up something swell. awesome place
What’s his career K rate?
Clearly it isn’t very high.
zing
This is a hell of a lot more productive than what I was doing with my life at 25…
Only 25? There’s hope for me yet!
I’m 21 and this gives me hope…….not…..all I’ll have at 25 is a mountain of student loans itll take the rest of my life to pay off. It’s terrible out here for college graduates, Companies are starting to prefer 5 years work experience over a degree. This about sums up my life right now
Best of luck to Scott. In 10 years he’ll be sitting in Theo’s chair
Is that picture him? He looks 40.
Maybe he can be Jed’s replacement in a few years.
That’s a stock photo of Jed and Theo.
Maybe he’ll be active in the free agent market, wont he Kyle? LOL
I got a bachelor in Psychology, can I become part of the Cub’s FO too? I can go get my MBA too!!! Come on give me a shot.
I have an MBA. Put me in the FO in charge of free agent acquisitions.
First – Brandon McCarthy, Second – Josh Hamilton, Third – Jeff Keppinger, Fourth – Mike Napoli. Fill out the bullpen with some strong arms and shore up the bench with some young kids and they’ll be dancing in the streets of Chicago come end of October.
No to Napoli and Hamilton. Yes to Swisher and Sanchez.
I wanted to be the Cubs broadcaster by the time I turned 30….well I am 30 and instead joined the military and annoy all my friends with useless sports facts…so I guess I’m HALF way there.
Thanks for the service in the military.
Now you young ‘uns are really making me feel old. I propose the banning of all age related comments from this time forward.
Don’t feel bad Cheryl, I’m so old I fart dust.
Cmon Cheryl its ok to admit your 29.
You just reduced mt permanent age by 10. ‘m fie with that.
Now if I could just get this keyboard to print the letters I want.Does a Blackberry tablet playbook get any easier? I’m still trying to connect more with you computer-savy people and just bought one.
Computer savvy people are overrated.
Wait til you turn 52.
Got two bachelors degree’s and a masters. absolutely worthless pieces of paper. Jounalism, Information Technology and Business. I guess 20 years ago someone actually cared about the paper. I haven’t even had to show them to anyone in years. They are in the drawer with all the mortgage papers and the like. But since I’m 52 maybe they can flip flop my numbers and I can be 25 again. Na. Already had 2 kids in diapers at 25 and 4 more on the way in the next 6 years. Being a catholic was not good at that time in my life. Couldn’t figure out how those kids kept coming every 15 months. Hope the kid knows what he has in front of him. For now he probably gets to run down to Starbucks for Theo and go pick up lunch and coordinate Happy Hour meetings. Keep Theo’s droid updates current and what ever else needs done.
You’e lucky. I have three masters’ degrees and the papers are all in a drawer. Always said that those degrees and $4 will buy you a cup of coffee.
I’m so old, I would have said, “that and 10 cents will buy you a cup of coffee”.
Joan Rivers said it best, “He tosses and turns a lot in his sleep!”
Dude, you sound like my parents! I’m the eldest of 6 kids (all of whom turned out Cubs fans, but none of whom turned out Catholic). When I had my first and only kid (nicknamed Kubby, so he loves the Cubs), I was the same age my father was when I started college.
I was taking prelims at 25, so this Harris lad probably is ahead of me. (My H from when I was 25 probably will beat his, however!)
Pretty cool business card to have when your out at the bars in Chicago. At 25 he will be farting through silk.
That’s right!! I spend too much time reading global technology crap in bed at night. That’s what I do.
What I learned in college is of absolutely no use to me now days. We were scribing limestone rocks back then with a hammer and chisel.
Maybe we should have an Old School section here on BN. The sabremetrics guys can all beat each other up and us old timers can talk about ERA’s and Wins and Losses. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t walk away half pissed 5 times a day though.
It would get boring. I have to admit that I do go check up on these guys every once in a while just to make sure they aren’t blowing smoke. I know where to find all the info if I want it bad enough. 
Settle down, Gramps! You’re gonna be late for the early-bird special downstairs in the rest home cafeteria!
Be careful where you go with that line of thinking, you’re crossing a line and could really get some people riled … don’t mess with the early bird special.
^This! wilbur … in best Mr. Ed voice!!
45 years old, work for one of the largest technology companies in the world (we kinda sell stuff too), and I believe that the proper examination of data will improve your understanding and enhance your enjoyment of the game of baseball. What school is that?
I’ve got 3 years on you, and I lean towards the stats side, even within my own profession!
“lean” towards the stat side? I always thought you were an AI created by Brett.
I agree!!! NOBODY will ever convince me that Babe Ruth wasn’t personally responsible for more than 12 wins with the 1921 Yankees, yet his OWAR is 12, and that’s his best! WAR = joke stat, IMHO.
Go ahead and hammer me now. I’m old enough to take it.
Had my students compare several different MVP’s on just their wOBA’s during their MVP years, after the Cabrera/Trout debate a couple weeks ago.
Amazing how Ruth was so far ahead of Trout/Cabrera/Posey/Pujols/Sandberg…etc.
The man could do many things.
One thing that we have to remember with Ruth is that he was the only player of his type for a little while. He didn’t just outhomer other players: he outhomered whole teams. It’s now forgotten that the “old school” of his day viewed his performance as a freak show that was not really relevant to winning. It’s not dissimilar to basketball, where it took teams a ridiculously long time to figure out that really tall forwards and centers generated a lot more net points than speedy little guys.
That’s very relevant because, thanks to Babe Ruth, we now understand that outhomering the other guys playing your position is the single biggest thing a guy can do to elevate his WAR. 25 years later, his numbers still would have been great: but there would have been a host of other RFers within (say) 20 or so HR of him: and thus they would have dragged down Ruth’s WAR by bringing up the number of HR we expect from Joe Quadruple A.
Sure, his WAR would have been lower, but he still would have been the best hitter of all time, correct? You can manipulate numbers all you want(and I am all for it) But please do not let the numbers mislead you. Ruth did what Bonds/Sosa/whomever did before there were PED/Diets/Realizations that smoking/drinking were so terrible for you. I would have to argue if you gave Ruth the knowledge/advances in taking care of one’s body he would probably still be the best…
I’m sorry, I take that back. He would be the best but with a lot of DUI’s/arrests/suspensions, because Babe liked to do what made Babe have fun.
“Best” hitter of all time would generate debate, obviously: people can (and do) make legitimate cases for guys like Ted Williams.
But this is sort of like arguing whether Sgt. Peppers was the best rock album (maybe) versus whether it was the most influential rock album (definitely). Ruth inarguably changed completely and totally the game in a way that no other player has. And what the Babe definitely represents is by far the biggest leap forward in “best” players: if (say) Teddy Baseball was a hair better hitter than the Babe, then it was only a hair better hitter; Ruth was head shoulders and navel above the prior “all time best” hitter.
Well said. Sometimes you show that you aren’t just numbers Doc, and I must admit, your analogy today shows that numbers are more often than not at least close to the point. : )
I second this.. I’d give his post a “Like” if this board had that functionality.
Moo.
Ruth was great but Williams was just as good. With 120ish fewer games Williams put up a wRAA that was all of 220 runs below Ruth (wRAA is a measure of runs a player is responsible for using wOBA which measures (according to OBP scale) how valuable a player is using everything they do on the offensive side of the ball).
Keep in mind, wRAA is a counting stat. So with 1000 fewer PA, Williams was able to be right there with Ruth. If only the writers didn’t hate him so much.
How many more front office guys does one major league club need???????
Six.
HTH
Aren’t you forgeting to count the guy that turns on the lights?
You mean, Scott?
When you haven’t won a championship in 100 years a lot. We’ve tried it the Phil Wrigley/Chicago Tribune cheap small front office for years. Let’s try something different.
I’m sure an article will soon follow but how cool is it that Javier Baez was just named by Baseball America as the top prospect in the AZ Fall league. Not sure why but I find it kind of funny that Hendry already knew he was heading out the door and then makes easily his top 1st round choice ever at #9. A little better than Mark Pawelek and Hayden Simpson and of course Josh Vitters at this point not being worth close to the 3rd overall pick. He then follows that up with Dan Vogelbach who has already shown signs he will be a great MLB hitter with a correspondingly high OBP and Tony Zych in the 4th round. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad Hendry is gone but it’s great he gave us all a nice parting gift.
As an old schooler I think the sabremetrics guys are trying to find a statistic (or at best, a series of statistics) that will absolutely, positively determine a player’s “worth.” Chart the players and rate them one through 750. While this will work at differating the best from the worst, the problem is that most major leaguers are within the margin of error, at the center of the bell curve. If one player has a SLG of .523 and another has one of .524, the latter is statistically the better hitter, but statistically a meaningless comparison. And with all the different variables involved in the game, stistical analysis is often misleading. Historically, consider Robert McNamara’s and the Viet Nam War(!) He tried to bring sound business and analytical theories and practices to the conduct of the war. Unfortunately the VC and NVA hadn’t read these theories and what should have happened, didn’t. So sabremetrics may be sort of like Einstein’s quest for the unified wave theory, a formula that would explain all and predict all with perfect accuracy; he never found it, and it, like perfect sabremetrics, may not exist.
Guys.
Seriously. I threw up one little blog and one little adsense on it. Brett mentioned it in passing. Judging from the hits and ad impressions, Brett is getting freaking rich off us.
Just thought you’d want to know.
The first day is like that.
I guess I should add that, if your success continues, I’m going to need to pick your brain about monetization techniques …
Number one monetization technique: Be a hater!
That’s No. 1 *life* technique.
Simple
“Phase One: Collect Scotts.
“Phase Two: ?
“Phase Three: Profit.”
And blogger is goofy like that. My first 100 hits got me $4. My next 3000 got me nowhere near the same per click amount.
Ha! You sucker! You paid me $5 to hit ‘refresh’ 3000 times!
Just had to bring that up…didn’t ya.
It was the 60′s and I was experimenting with things. OK!!!!
And Scott said, “May all your blogs be trafficful and all your ads ever-clicked.” In Scott’s name, we pray.
I missed the shout out to this new blog? Where is it?
Where’s the K-man blog? I would like to visit it.
I hope Brett does get rich. Nothing wrong with getting rich.
I like the cut of your gib (jib?). Give me another two years, and I’ll be Scrooge McDucking it into a pool of advertising dollars.
And his blog is there on his name, if you click it.
“Jib” even a land-lubber (even one who insists on calling gulls “seagulls”) ought to know that cold.
And I hope Brett makes enough to pay a much bigger staff by opening day ’13, ’cause this site is going to triple. And enough to pay a (better) team of ghost writers during post-season play ’cause he’s going to be too busy doing “real media.”
A better team of ghost writers? As in.. we have ghost writers now?
Brett, have you been holding out on me?
Brett doesn’t pay me, and he’s getting his money’s worth tonight. I can’t write worth a damn, Luke.
A) Brett’ll need a bigger staff just to do admin and weed troll posts (maybe Scott is available)
B) He’ll need a “team of ghost writers” to replace all the work he does here now when he’s lured from us by big corporate dudes smoking cigars.
C) parenthetical “better” teasing that maybe he already has an intern in grad school like a paralegal doing his research and translating all the Japanese and Spanish language tweets so that he can spend more time with his family and cash all those big checks.
I think I just fisked myself.
Appreciate your work here, Luke.
I’m your Scott
And George Scott thanks you, SG
The real question is: does Luke really exist? Or is he just another of my incarnations?
And am I really named Scott?
Everyone is named Scott
ScottCow?
Moo?
I do enjoy how the first article on fire theo Epstein is about a Hendry prospect.
Boy, I read the blog K-man. You have got to get rid of those negative waves Moriarity.
Again don’t agree with everything but at least there is thought behind the articles.
I’m already bored with it. I doubt it gets updated.
Hooray, I win at the Internet!
All of the professional bloggers I’ve talked to have said that the biggest attribute of success is dogged persistence. I was going to ask them for the second attribute but I never got around to it.
Rugged good looks.
(And ha.)
Kyle, thanks for posting that Cubs Den break down/take down in the Vitters article response thread. It and the thoughtful reactions (I’m looking at you, hansman) it throws off from others here make (more) great reading.
And, MightyBear, tell Oddball to be careful where he’s pointing those beautiful Shermans.
Thank you for the positive shout out there…I think that’s what that was.
It’s not that I hate Kyle or his stance…I just don’t like either of them very well…
It was a positive shout out. I like the thoughtful debate. Iron sharpens iron. Like or no, Kyle’s packin’ iron. You, too.
As your top commenter (with 2 comments, fully 100% of the comments that aren’t yourself), I think you should keep at it. At the risk of sounding very presumptuous, you are basically the only commenter that I feel really comfortable arguing with and that are most like me, and your comments/posts are thought-provoking like 90% of the time (I’m not saying that the other people on this or other boards aren’t intelligent).
I’m also EXTREMELY jealous. I’d love to start a blog but I don’t have the time or commitment to post good content every day, which is a necessary (but not sufficient) requirement to succeed.
Yes, as someone who has attempted (and continues to do a half-hearted job of it) to create a blog while working full-time, we CAN NOT give Brett enough gratitude for the year and a half that he spent toiling away while working full-time. Blogging, for all the negative wrap it gets, is insanely difficult to do well.
Kudos to you Berticus!!!
The Twins got Alex Meyer (#50 overall prospect) for Denard Span??? WTF
I’m older than all the stats guys put together.
On Chicago Tribune Live the guy that crunches numbers who thought last season about the Cubs getting Paul Maholm suggested the Cubs should get Brendan McCarthy and Ryan Ludwick thoughts
I think Ludwick makes sense in this regard: I believe the Cubs are going to wait out the outfield market (because it’s so full), and pick from the guys looking for a team next year. They might get a steal that way.
McCarthy yes. Ludwick no.
Geez Theo, enough with the suits already!
Find one that can play 3B and hit for power.
Pirates agree to terms with Russell Martin on a 2yr deal worth 17mm
And Tony Sanchez doesn’t appear to like that move. I doubt he’s available (he probably needs two years in the minors still anyway… one and a half at least), but I imagine the Pirates are getting some calls.
Hey Brett why did you make your blog a website instead of making it on blogger and other places?
I’m not Brett but I can tell you that traditional blogging websites limit what you can do with your site.
Also, I believe he uses WordPress (just a semi-educated guess there) which is Blogger on steroids to the Bonds power!
Yes he uses WordPress
I was 99.9% sure…the message board gives it away.
I t scott told u the scott thing Scott Rolen is next