This Just In: Theo Epstein Is The Best Exec In Sports
After a 2015 campaign that witnessed the Chicago Cubs go from “one year away,” to “screw Steve Bartman and the billy goat curse,” the drought ends now. This year’s Cubbies have surpassed expectations that even the most devoted Cubs’ junkie could have ever imagined.
It’s no secret that the Cubs are good. It’s also no secret that Cubs’ President Theo Epstein, the driver of the ship and the straw that stirs the drink, is equally as good. But is he the best executive in professional sports? The Cubs are betting on their guy after signing Epstein to a 5-year extension that could pay him up to $10 million annually.
When you think of the best exec in sports, your mind might instantly race to the likes of Pat Riley, or even Mr. Moneyball himself Billy Bean. But numbers don’t lie, and what Epstein is doing in Chicago, combined with what he’s already done in Boston, makes him the clear choice to don the title of “Best Executive In Professional Sports.”
Lets look at the facts.
- The Cubs has surpassed 100 wins this season, the most wins the team has had since 1935.
- The Cubs are tied for the fifth-fasted team to clinch their division since 1996 and are 19-games ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals.
- The Cubs went 61–101 in 2012, the first season under Epstein, and four years later are over 100 wins.
This span is tied for the second-fastest turnaround from 100 losses to 100 wins over the past 100 seasons, according to ESPN Stat & Information.
In 2013, the Cubs picked second in the MLB Draft behind the Houston Astros, who selected righty flame thrower Mark Appel. The Cubs followed up the Astros selection with Kris Bryant (a guy you may have heard of). Appel has never pitched in a Major League game and Bryant is on the verge of winning NL MVP, which would make him the first player in history to win collegiate player of the year, minor league player of the year, rookie of the year and MVP in consecutive seasons.
These are only a few of the many accomplishments the Cubs have achieved under the leadership of Theo Epstein. In 2004, Epstein broke an 86-year old Championship drought while acting as the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, and is on the verge of breaking an even longer one with the Cubs.
So to quote the late great Dennis Green, the Cubs “are who we thought they were,” and so is Epstein. With the best executive in professional sports signed for five more years, it’s only going to get better.
