Oakland Athletics: Billy Beane

The A's endless roster turnover means that nobody becomes too entrenched in Oakland, save for the architect of their unique way of coping with the disadvantages of their small market. As their general manager (1997 to 2015) and executive vice president of baseball operations (‘15 to present), Beane has overseen eight playoff teams by pioneering the the integration of analytics into teams' decision-making processes as a means of overcoming shoestring budgets—a strategy sexy enough that he was portrayed onscreen by Brad Pitt in the film adaptation of Moneyball.