Billy Beane, born William Lamar Beane III on March 29, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, is a former professional baseball player and a pioneering front office executive. Known for his innovative use of sabermetrics in player evaluation, Beane has significantly influenced Major League Baseball as the longtime executive vice president of baseball operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics, and he is also a minority owner of soccer clubs Barnsley FC and AZ Alkmaar.