Ten things to know about the Giants’ new president

SAN FRANCISCO — Following consecutive losing seasons, the Giants are attempting to reverse disturbing trends and compete with the back-toback National League pennant winners.

The first step? Hiring away one of the Dodgers’ most coveted executives.

The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve hired former Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi as their new president of baseball operations, ushering in a bold new era for a franchise in desperate need of a makeover.

Who is the 41-year-old executive and why did the Giants put their trust in Zaidi? Here are 10 things to know about the man tasked with leading the franchise into the future.

1. Zaidi is the Giants’ highest-ranking front office executive

The Giants didn’t hire Zaidi to serve under vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean, but instead to build his own front office and report directly to CEO Larry Baer.

Zaidi will have the authority to make all personnel decisions and to hire his own team of assistants. The expectation is that Zaidi will hire a general manager to oversee the day-today operations of the club while he focuses on big-picture decisions and setting the direction for the future.

Sabean will assist Zaidi and offer input on decisions, but this is officially the Farhan Zaidi show.

2. He was the first Muslim general manager of any American sports franchise

When Dodgers vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman hired Zaidi away from the Oakland A’s in 2014, Zaidi became the first Muslim general manager of any American professional sports franchise. Texas Rangers assistant general manager Shiraz Rehman was the first Muslim assistant general manager in baseball when he was hired by the Cubs in 2011.

3. His greatest expertise in building a roster is not in baseball, but in fantasy football

Though the Dodgers reached the World Series in each of the last two seasons, Los Angeles did not capture a championship under Zaidi’s watch. The same cannot be said for Zaidi’s fantasy football team, which brought home titles in all three seasons Zaidi played in a league comprised of Dodgers players. In a LA Times feature on Zaidi’s dominance, outfielder Joc Pederson called Zaidi the “Bill Belichick of fantasy football.”

4. He was born in Canada to a family of Pakistani ancestry and raised in the Philippines

Zaidi’s parents, Sadiq and Anjum, moved to Canada when his British-ed-

ucated father took a job with a mining company in Ontario. Farhan was originally born in the town of Sudbury but moved with his family to the Philippines at the age of three so Sadiq could work for the Asian Development Bank. At 17, Farhan left home to pursue his education in the United States.

5. His first job in baseball came as a data analyst with the Oakland A’s

After reportedly beating out more than 1,000 applicants, Zaidi’s career in major league baseball began when he was hired as a data analyst for $32,000 per year. Zaidi rose through the ranks of the A’s organization and spent a decade with the franchise as he eventually served as the assistant general manager before leaving in November, 2014 for his most recent position with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

6. He has degrees from both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley

Zaidi received his bachelor of science degree from MIT before completing his doctorate of philosophy in economics from UC Berkeley. According to this LA Times feature, Zaidi was finishing his Berkeley degree at Harvard when he received an opportunity to interview for his first job with the Oakland A’s. Zaidi flew across the country to meet A’s vice president Billy Beane and ultimately started his career in the Bay Area.

7. He has reached the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons

Though Zaidi has never helped construct a championship roster as an executive, each of the last seven teams he played a part in building have advanced to the postseason. The A’s reached the playoffs in three consecutive years from 2012-2014 while the Dodgers won the National League West in all four of Zaidi’s seasons with the franchise.

8. He’s credited with pushing the A’s to sign Cuban star Yoenis Cespedes

While Zaidi is expected to bring a forward-thinking analytical approach to the Giants, several stories written about him indicate he’s widely regarded as a proponent of old-school scouting methods. Zaidi’s trust in both sides of the equation helped him lead the A’s charge to sign Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year, $36 million deal in 2012.

9. His interest in baseball was sparked by reading Bill James and Michael Lewis

Zaidi did play baseball during his youth, but his interest in the business aspect of the sport was ignited by what he learned while reading the work of famous sabermetrician Bill James and the book, “Moneyball,” by author Michael Lewis. Zaidi’s interest in “Moneyball” played a role in his desire to work for the Oakland A’s.

10. He has never signed a player to a $100-million contract

Despite working for a major market team in Los Angeles with one of the largest payrolls in baseball, Zaidi never signed a Dodgers player to a contract exceeding $100 million. The largest contract Zaidi is responsible for is his last with the Dodgers, as he helped negotiate ace Clayton Kershaw’s recent three-year, $93 million extension.