In recent news, in November the Chicago Cubs promoted Vice President of Player Development Jared Banner to the team’s assistant general manager position.
Since joining the organization three years ago, Banner has helped the Cubs farm system reach Top 5 in baseball under his watch.
“It’s putting together a good process and infrastructure, putting together the right team,” Banner said in a past phone interview with MLB.com.
“When I say team, I mean our coaches, strength and conditioning staff, athletic trainers, our office staff, everyone together. That’s the part that I love, spending time with my teammates, chasing after a common goal of making our players better on a daily basis.”
After graduating and playing baseball for Amherst College in 2007, Banner landed his first job out of college with the Boston Red Sox.
That same year, after a fellowship with Boston, Banner earned his first of three World Series rings with the organization.
In the past, Banner worked for Boston as an assistant of Player Development for two seasons, coordinator of Amateur Scouting for three seasons, and served in other key positions, including vice president of Player Personnel for the historic franchise.
Banner also served as executive director of Player Development for the New York Mets and worked with the Cubs for three seasons before being promoted to Assistant General Manager by Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer.
Prior to working with the Cubs, both Banner and Hoyer worked for the Red Sox organization during the team’s World Series win in 2007.
In September 2016, the Cubs signed Hoyer to a five-year contract through 2021. On November 17, 2020, the Cubs named Hoyer president of baseball operations, after World Series Champion Theo Epstein stepped down from the position. Hoyer signed another five-year deal in November 2020, running through 2025, according to his bio.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
