James Holzhauer had made a name for himself by earning nearly $1.5 million during his current streak of 19 consecutive “Jeopardy!” wins, and the baseball fanatic and professional gambler could use his newfound fame to fulfill a lifelong dream.
Holzhauer has always been a huge baseball fan, and he was infatuated with the analytics of the game from a very young age. He began at age 8 by creating spreadsheets using statistics from baseball cards, and he later studied Bill James’ annual Baseball Prospectus guide in detail. From there, he used his statistical prowess to make money playing fantasy baseball.
Marc Carig of The Athletic, who wrote an interesting feature on Holzhauer this week, reported on Thursday that there is at least one MLB team with “some level of interest” in what Holzhauer has to offer.
About his dream of working in a MLB front office, Jeopardy phenom James Holzhauer says “I would have to at least consider the right offer if it came along.”
Update: I hear at least one team has some level of interest in his services. https://t.co/wvHCYVsB1w
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) May 2, 2019
Holzhauer said he applied to several entry-level positions with MLB teams after he graduated with a mathematics degree from Illinois in 2005, but the 34-year-old was never given an opportunity. He considered going to the Winter Meetings to look for work but felt his “lack of networking experience would be a serious drawback.”
“Baseball was my goal from a young age, but gambling had significantly fewer barriers to entry,” he said. “I’m not sure I have the interpersonal skills to be a GM, but I could certainly see myself as a consultant.”
Analytics has become an increasingly popular approach in baseball in recent years, and it seems like Holzhauer was at the forefront of that revolution. Baseball purists have tried to discouraged people who think like Holzhauer from taking over the game, but data-driven executives continue to pop up every year. Could Holzhauer be the next? Time will tell.
