Working in Baseball: One Man’s Journey to a Dream
Like many before me, I dreamed of working in baseball. This year, I am proud to say that dream has come true. I will be interning with the Tampa Bay Rays in a Sports Science role, and I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity. I owe the Rays organization immensely for believing in me.
The road here was not easy (in fact, doubt, and uncertainty were probably the dominant states of my being throughout the process), but I walked the road, and now I’d like to share some of the takeaways from that journey. I hope my experience can provide some perspective for others walking the same path.
Know Your “Why”
When it comes to working in baseball, “love for the game” is about as cliché as a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. It is essentially a given; anyone willing to put in the time and sacrifice to work in baseball clearly has a deep connection to the sport. For me, the “why” was all about potential and inspiration: baseball represents a container in which I can achieve my best self; a vehicle to inspire others to excel. My “why” shouldn’t be your why, but everyone must connect to their own “why”.
Show Your Worth, Then Dig Deeper
After graduating from college, I was fortunate to work for Motus Global, a sports technology firm that provides wearables for athletes. Motus’ core value proposition, biomechanical analysis, was beyond my expertise, but that was great: getting to spend every day with people who were smarter than me was invaluable. It was an incredible foot in the door.
Then, after about two years, I was laid off in early April. Anyone familiar with a baseball season and the Gregorian calendar knows this was exceedingly bad timing; it is much harder to gain employment at the beginning of the Major League season, as opposed to its off-season.
I knew I needed to use the extra time to build my value. I wound up taking two online courses from Sports Management World Wide, one in which I learned the basics of using certain programming software such as SQL and R (which, nowadays, is basically a prerequisite for working in baseball). In addition, I picked up a part-time scouting gig with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network, and began writing for this website. All three undertakings were vital to my growth and personal brand. I can’t thank each of them enough for giving me the opportunity to contribute to and learn.
The moral here is keep working; push yourself a step further to show why and how you can help an organization.
Network, Network, Network
The old adage, “it’s all about who you know,” is true.
Just maintaining a friendly relationship can and will go far. A lot of jobs aren’t even posted on public forums because clubs don’t want to be bombarded with hundreds of applications. Not only that, but teams are confident they can fill positions based purely off of word of mouth and existing relationships.
Networking correctly is hard, but there are a few key principles that I found incredibly useful. 1) Use what you have. Most of my connections came from people I knew introducing me to people they knew. 2) Stay in touch. It took me a while to learn how, but it really is valuable. Following up early – and also often – is huge. Reach out just because, not only when you need something. 3) Stay humble. When you get an introduction from a well-regarded friend, don’t think you are getting a job just because you know the right people. Always take the time and put in the effort. 4) Be savvy. Be cognizant of the time of year/season; chances are there are factors beyond your control that will impact response time – but most will return your message.
Attend the Baseball Winter Meetings
What better way to put those networking skills in to practice than to attend the MLB Winter Meetings?
This is a must for any aspiring front office professional. It’s not hard to find oneself walking beside a John Daniels or Ken Rosenthal during the event. Some of the most brilliant minds in this industry are under one roof for five days of the year and it is an optimal opportunity to get to know the people whose shoes you wish to one day fill.
The meetings also are host to the Professional Baseball Employment Opportunity (PBEO) job fair for anyone looking to get into MiLB operations, as well as a number of other conferences, events, and things to do while at the Winter Meetings.
This was my third year attending, and it continued to thrill (it being in Vegas certainly contributed). Even if you are too young, or aren’t quite sure of exactly what you want to do, meeting up with a professional during the meetings is extremely acceptable and encouraged. It’s a great time to ask for advice and see how others broke their way into the industry. It can be intimidating walking around by yourself trying to speak with people you’ve only ever seen on TV. Don’t be shy, everyone else is in the same boat. At the very worst, you’ll have a story to tell.
For me, the best part about the Winter Meetings is having the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded individuals, and reconnect or meet new people. As almost anyone in the sports industry will tell you, it’s all about the relationships you build throughout the years.
BE PATIENT
I can’t stress this one enough. The hardest part of my journey was the patience it required. For years I’ve known exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I had to wait to see it come to fruition. It’s extremely challenging thinking you’re qualified for a job that you don’t have yet. What’s worse is getting caught up in the people you see on social media announcing their new jobs in baseball. Everyone has their own journey and everyone takes different paths. Your time will come.
So, don’t panic, follow your heart, throw yourself out there, and be patient. It’s extremely challenging, but hey, nothing that’s worth doing is ever easy.
– Mike Lambiaso
