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picasaweb.google.comA B.Com. from McGill’s management program, an MBA from Columbia, and experience as a commodities trader: not exactly the credentials one would expect from a high-ranking member of one of baseball’s premier front offices. While Shiraz Rehman may not fit our traditional idea of what makes a mover and shaker in the professional sports industry, he is representative of a new generation of baseball executives who base their decisions in finance and academics. Newly hired as the Assistant to the General Manager of the Chicago Cubs, Rehman, 34, is living the dream of every university graduate who figured that the closest they would ever get to trading and signing players was in fantasy.
Shiraz Rehman was born in Montreal, but moved to New York before he entered first grade. He maintained ties with his city of birth and decided to return by attending McGill as a commerce student in the faculty of management. The combination of an Ivy League-level education and the ability to play his favourite sport made McGill the perfect destination for Rehman. “I didn’t want to go to just an academic school that didn’t have a baseball program,” he said, “and I wasn’t interested in going to a smaller institution that didn’t have the academic standards I was looking for just to play ball. McGill checked both boxes.”
His four years at McGill as a student and a varsity athlete significantly helped Rehman in reaching the position he holds today.
“I loved my time at McGill and in Montreal,” Rehman said, with a hint of nostalgia for his alma mater. “I really enjoyed my experience as a student athlete. Anyone who plays sports at McGill or elsewhere knows that there are personal sacrifices to be made in time, but I think they pay off in spades. Obviously I love the game of baseball and enjoy playing it, but the relationships I was able to build, either with coaches or with teammates are things that I keep to this day and are invaluable to me.”
Rehman still maintains his relationship with Redmen baseball Head Coach Ernie D’Alessandro, who took the reins of the program when Shiraz was in his second year. “Ernie’s a great guy,” Rehman added, “he sent me a couple of notes after he heard I got hired.” Rehman’s lasting connection to the Redmen was evident in 2010, with the team struggling financially and Rehman working in Arizona, he shipped a dozen bats to McGill, saving the team over a thousand dollars.
Coach D’Alessandro, who has led the Redmen to three national championships, has fond memories of Rehman. “Our coaching staff could see right away that he was a smart and personable young man with a good knowledge of the game,” D’Alessandro said. “More importantly though, he had a great love of baseball. Shiraz was well-liked by his teammates and had a great sense of humour. He was always driven to improve and worked hard, both on and off the field, so it’s not surprising that he is succeeding at the highest level of the game, as a front office employee.”
Rehman is quick to praise the education that he received at McGill as vital to his success both in the business world and in baseball. “I believe that the McGill commerce education that I had was pretty neat relative to some of the U.S. schools. I think [McGill] is more focused on the type of classes and skills that are more practical out of the chute.” He also couldn’t leave out the friendships and relationships he developed in the program. “I thought the social network created in a B.Com. program was outstanding. I also really enjoyed management carnival,” Rehman joked.
After graduating from McGill in 1999 with a degree in finance and accounting, Rehman moved into the business world and worked as a commodities trader and a financial consultant. Later, he completed an MBA at Columbia University. He decided to transition from the business world to his true love of baseball and got an internship with the Red Sox in 2005 after attending baseball’s winter meetings and memorizing the names and faces of everyone he met. That’s where he met then-Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and his assistant Jed Hoyer, the two men with whom Rehman now shares a front office in Chicago.
The transition from the business sector to the baseball world was not an easy one. “I was an intern and worked my fingers to the bone a little,” mentioned Rehman of his time with the Red Sox. “Often in sports, you end up having to take a bit of a longer road whereas you may have sexier paycheques or job titles in other industries. You make a lot of sacrifices both financially and personally in order to climb up the chain. And you have to have a willingness to work hard.”
But Rehman’s hard work paid off. Later that year, he and two other members of the Red Sox staff would move on to join the Arizona Diamondbacks, Rehman’s first real job in baseball. He spent six years in Arizona, making it all the way to director of player personnel. In November, he got the call from Chicago.
After missing the playoffs for a third straight year and finishing fifth in the NL Central division, the Cubs hired Theo Epstein, famous for breaking the Red Sox’ 86-year World Series “curse,” to work his magic at Wrigley. In building his new front office, Epstein brought in Hoyer, his former assistant and most recently GM of the San Diego Padres, to be his General Manager. Rehman was hired as Assistant to the GM, which means he will be reporting directly to Hoyer.
Joining an organization with as much history and tradition as the Cubs is a challenge Rehman is eager to tackle.
“I’m really excited. I have a ton of respect for both Theo and Jed, having had a chance to work with both of them. Combining the opportunity to work with them in an organization that has the long, tremendous history that the Chicago Cubs have is a combination that’s tough to beat,” Rehman said. “It’s a dynamic place that’s exciting to come to every day. We’re interested in trying to solve problems, trying to get better, and trying to win a World Series. I’m really excited by the opportunity and it’s something I’m really grateful for.”
Although he’s only been with the club for a few weeks, the serious work is already beginning for Rehman as teams begin to pursue free agents in attempts to improve their teams for the upcoming season. Although Rehman refused to comment on whether his Cubs are in on the Albert Pujols hunt or whether they’re pursuing other top-rated free agents, he will certainly have a great influence over who the team decides to sign, draft, and trade. “My job title means a whole lot of things,” Rehman said. “Baseball jobs in front offices tend to be all hands on deck. First and foremost, I’ll be helping Jed and Theo with building our 40-man roster as well as [collecting and analyzing] scouting information, financial information, and statistical information. We put it all together to feed information to facilitate making quick decisions.”
In the past decade, baseball has changed to the point where both on-field baseball knowledge and analytical skills are the driving forces behind baseball decisions. Statistical analysis got itself back in the news with the release of the film version of Moneyball in September, and Rehman is part of the new generation of baseball executives with roots in the financial field, particularly with degrees from Ivy League universities, who are changing the face of the game. Rehman notes that this phenomenon has been developing for much longer. “I think we’ve seen it a lot over the last 20 years, more of a flow of these types of people into the game,” Rehman said, refuting the notion that it started with Moneyball. “Different skillsets and ideas existed in baseball before then, but it’s certainl
y gotten a little more popularity and coverage recently.”
Coming out of the business world, Rehman believes that no form of knowledge or analysis should be discredited in making decisions. Having been part of three front offices at this point in his career, Rehman notes that the ones that seem to operate the best are those in which problems are attacked from every possible angle. “It’s a standard line but I think it’s true: getting a lot of different skillsets in a room is the best way to solve problems or to get the right answers. When you’ve got as much baseball knowledge and on-field knowledge as you possibly can, using the traditional ways of evaluating a player, along with the more analytical ways—be it statistics or performance—putting those two together is the best way of evaluating players.”
For those looking to be the next Shiraz Rehman, Major League baseball teams look for a unique combination of skills and experiences. For most of us who don’t have those, the possibility of a job like Rehman’s will continue to reside in the realm of fantasy, not reality.
“You have to make sure that you have a breadth of experience,” Rehman cautioned. “It’s not just about having played college or pro ball, nor is it about being a pure numbers guy. I have overseen entry-level hirings in Arizona and we’re looking for both those who have experience with the on-field game in terms of playing, coaching, and scouting, as well as those that can be analytical. In general we look for people who position themselves on both sides of the fence.”
While very few McGill students can describe themselves as having both of these qualifications, Rehman’s story shows that in a changing world, diverse experiences, a willingness to work, and the ability to think critically go a long way. Whether he can help Epstein and Hoyer break another “curse” remains to be seen, but just by making his way up the MLB ladder, Shiraz Rehman is already a success to those at McGill and will continue to be a source of pride for years to come.
