William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics. Prior to his front office career, he played for the New York Mets , Minnesota Twins , Detroit Tigers , and Oakland Athletics . He joined the Athletics' front office as a scout in 1990, and was named GM after the 1997 season. A first round draft pick, Beane's playing career failed to meet the expectations of the scouts, who projected him as a star. In his front office career, Beane has applied statistical analysis to players, known as... sabermetrics, which has led all teams to reconsider how they evaluate players. He is the subject of Michael Lewis' 2003 book on baseball economics, Moneyball, which was made into a 2011 film starring Brad Pitt as Beane. Pitt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Beane. Beane grew up in Hollywood, Florida and San Diego, California, the child of a career military family. His father, a naval officer, taught him how to pitch. At Mt.
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