This was noted in Tom Tango’s post about consulting with the Cubs (actually, it was the main thrust of his post, but, for our purposes here, they’re really two separate things), so you may have already seen it if you clicked through. If you did not, the Chicago Cubs are hiring a super genius as “Director of Research and Development.”
This role will be responsible for developing and overseeing the research and analytics function within Baseball Operations, reporting to the Assistant GM.
Responsibilities
Perform advanced statistical analysis on large volumes of baseball-related data and implement predictive models to aid in decision-making.
Develop and manage a talented staff (developers, analysts, and consultants) by identifying strong candidates, prioritizing work flows, supervising projects and providing productive feedback.
Present high-level analysis in an effective and articulate manner through the use of written reports, charts, tables, graphics, and other tools that enhance the Department’s decision-making process.
Develop and maintain proprietary projections model for future performance.
Monitor, identify and recommend new or emerging techniques, technologies, models and algorithms applicable to internal processes.
Analyze internal baseball processes in order to develop functional requirements (specifications) for outside vendors and application developers, including requirements, system impact, data flow diagrams, special considerations, etc.
Identify technologies that offer potential value to the organization through meetings with vendors and providers.
Oversee the departmental budget associated with R&D spending.
Contribute to baseball decisions and proactively generate ideas for player acquisition and player usage.
Other projects as directed the Baseball Operations leadership team.
Required Qualifications
Advanced degree or equivalent experience in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related quantitative field.
Demonstrated project management, problem-solving, and teaching abilities.
Demonstrated ability to communicate difficult and complex concepts at an appropriate level to colleagues possessing a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
Demonstrated expert-level knowledge (of at least 5 years) with baseball-specific data, modern statistical techniques, and sabermetric analysis.
Demonstrated expertise with R, STATA, SPSS, SAS, or similar software.
Demonstrated expertise with SQL Server, Microsoft Access, My SQL, Oracle, database administration/structuring, data warehousing and data modeling.
Knowledge and demonstrated ability in the areas of programming, software-coding, ETL, and/or machine learning techniques.
A few things that jump out at me: (1) the position reports to “the Assistant GM,” but the Cubs have two Assistant GMs – Randy Bush and Shiraz Rehman – and I found the wording there odd. It’s probably nothing, and I’m assuming all it means is that the position will report to one of the two AGMs, probably Rehman; (2) I saw the posting on Baseball Prospectus, as the Cubs had specifically asked BP to post it. I love it: the Cubs are explicitly looking outside the usual “in” baseball world to find the best statistically-inclined person for the job. They’re open to anyone; (3) But that “anyone” has to be a super genius of the highest order.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation. You can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation, on Bluesky at @Brett-Taylor, and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
Here's an interesting new rumor for Sunday morning. According to Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic, the Chicago Cubs are one of the teams who've checked in on free-agent left-handed reliever Brooks Raley - he of a 2.58 ERA over his...
Thoughts are still with the folks out west, dealing with the terrible wildfires. Scary to hear that more winds are coming once, which could exacerbate things again. Hopefully there will be enough respite soon to get these under control. The...
Everyone is understandably looking for tea leaves in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, and one of the most obvious ones we all pointed out to anticipate was the breaking of handshake deals with International Free Agent signings. If a team started...
By the time the Cubs had added Colin Rea, or even earlier with the Eli Morgan trade or the Cody Poteet acquisition or the Matt Festa claim or the Caleb Thielbar signing or some combination of those plus the many...
I believe I have shoveled more in the last week than I did all winter before this week, plus last winter, combined. I don't really hate it THAT much, at least now that I have a much better back situation,...
This would've been a very good signing for the Chicago Cubs. Sensibly-priced given the talent and market, and a pretty critical need. But the Cubs of the current front office simply DO NOT give out reliever contracts like this: OFFICIAL:...
The Cubs have made a pitching addition today, though it's probably not among the names you had on your radar for a significant move. It's old friend Colin Rea: Free agent right-hander Colin Rea and the #Cubs have agreed to...
To be clear, the vibes on the Chicago Cubs landing Roki Sasaki should never have been particularly high to begin with, and I've done my best to keep folks' hopes in check from the jump. The rumors on the Dodgers...
MLB RUMORS — Well, we're officially in a holding pattern. The big-time free-agent relievers are still standing by for Tanner Scott to set the market (Andrew Kittredge notwithstanding). Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman are in no man's land and are...
'Conclave' was good. I don't have much more to say than that, especially since I'm way late on watching it, and also because I don't know much about how realistic it is. Just an interesting, well-paced story to enjoy. The...
There is one game featuring an ACC teams on the Monday college basketball schedule, the Boston College Eagles versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Make sure you check out below for today's best bets!How to Bet on ACC GamesBest ACC...
The Campbell Fighting Camels and the Elon Phoenix hit the court for the only game on Monday's college basketball slate with CAA squads. Want best bets information? You've come to the right place.How to Bet on CAA GamesBest CAA Spread...
Big Ten squads are on Monday's college basketball schedule in two games, including the UCLA Bruins taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and best bets tips are below.How to Bet on Big Ten GamesBest Big Ten Spread Bet Today: Rutgers...
The Wofford Terriers versus the Furman Paladins is the only game on Monday's college basketball schedule that has a SoCon team on the court, and we've got best bets tips for you.How to Bet on SoCon GamesBest SoCon Spread Bet...
ACF Fiorentina (sixth) and AC Monza (20th) play Monday at 2:45 PM ET, two clubs in opposite halves of the table in Serie A.Watch Serie A matches on Fubo! Use our link to sign up now.AC Monza vs. Fiorentina TV...
Ayoze Perez, the fifth-ranked scorer in LaLiga (eight goals), leads Villarreal CF into a road match versus Real Sociedad, which has given up 13 goals (second in LaLiga). The game is on Monday at 3:00 PM ET.Watch LaLiga matches on...
Earlier this week, the Rockford IceHogs teased a major announcement during the first intermission of their game on Sunday afternoon. That announcement, which I mentioned earlier this week, is that the 2026 AHL All-Star Game will be played in Rockford!...
Monday's NHL matchup between the Florida Panthers (25-15-3) and the Philadelphia Flyers (18-20-5) at Wells Fargo Center sees the Panthers heavily favored on the road (-166 moneyline odds to win) against the Flyers (+140). The game begins at 7:00 PM...
Monday's NHL matchup between the Edmonton Oilers (26-13-3) and the Los Angeles Kings (24-11-5) at Rogers Place sees the Oilers favored at home (-175 moneyline odds to win) against the Kings (+145). The game begins at 9:30 PM ET on...
Monday's NHL slate includes an outing between the favored Calgary Flames (20-14-7, -142 on the moneyline to win on the road) and the Chicago Blackhawks (14-27-2, +120 moneyline odds) at 7:30 PM ET on NHL Network.You can watch the Flames...
NEWSLETTER
This was noted in Tom Tango’s post about consulting with the Cubs (actually, it was the main thrust of his post, but, for our purposes here, they’re really two separate things), so you may have already seen it if you clicked through. If you did not, the Chicago Cubs are hiring a super genius as “Director of Research and Development.”
