work in sports | how i got my DREAM JOB w Tampa Bay Rays (MLB)

[@basitmandhai9938]

Braves fan here, so happy you guys didn't pursue Sean Murphy 😀

[@RandellKanemaru]

hahaha I'm glad he's working out for you guys :')

[@williamgreen8954]

Could you possibly go a little more in depth about your day to day responsibilities? Like do you travel w the team or go to spring training? Do you have meetings w the higher ups to talk about which players to sign? Is there lots of number crunching? Just stuff like that. Great video man keep it up

[@RandellKanemaru]

Yea of course! To be honest, my job is fairly ambiguous. One of my main responsibilities is advance work. So I help out producing all the scouting reports for the MLB team for every series. Also help out with the hitting coaches with whatever they need, 1B/OF coach, and other coaches. A lot of coaches need material every game so I help out with that. I'm not in the office too much as I travel with the team, so most of the bigger meetings happen in the off-season for me. I'm also at MLB Spring Training so enjoying that grind right now :)

[@raidermarc]

I'm a Sport Management graduate that went through all of college through COVID and didn't have the same opportunities as I would have without a lockdown. I was able to secure a internship after a year of working elsewhere and currently being still in my internship it has opened so many doors and have made so many connections. It hasn't been an easy path and and being with a junior team doesn't guarantee a spot with the team as it is a small staff. You're definitely right with taking whatever position you can with a team as they are already hard to come by. To any Sport Management student currently or anyone wanting to get into sports, just remember, it's a marathon not a sprint. Enjoy the process.

[@raidermarc]

Also, very true about being nice with everyone. I worked with someone in a seasonal job that ended up knowing my current boss at my internship, who he called to ask about me. You never know.

[@RandellKanemaru]

Good story man! I hope you're enjoying it and I hope for a long career in it if that's what you want! :)

[@jacobwatkins634]

Awesome video, as I'm a college student studying Sports Management, wanted to work in baseball

[@RandellKanemaru]

I'm glad I can help! Let me know if you have any questions!

[@mikemilana2217]

Excellent insight

[@RandellKanemaru]

Appreciate it!

[@huntermccaw5901]

Hey man I just stumbled upon your page on instagram. I myself am looking to get a job in baseball after college. I currently play baseball at the collegiate level (freshman). That is preventing me from taking internships with teams. We do currently have a high A baseball team in my hometown so I have thought about getting in contact with someone over there to shadow for a day or 2. My degree is somewhat relatable (physical education). I feel what will help me the most is my experience in the game and people I have/will meet these next 3 years.

[@RandellKanemaru]

Yea the playing experience will definitely help! But it also depend what type of job in sports you want to get into. That will help for scouting-type jobs, but there's also a lot of other jobs in the industry that don't necessarily need that baseball-specific experience. Just gotta see what you like, and try and cater your experience/knowledge towards that!

[@huntermccaw5901]

@@RandellKanemaru awesome yes scouting like jobs would be something I’d like to get into

[@MLB414]

Hey Randell, I have a question for you and I would like to get your advice. I am currently a college student and will be transferring colleges to play juco baseball this fall. My career goal is to work for a MLB team after I graduate from a 4-year college. I am looking to get a degree in business. My question is how do you think I should spend my summers when I don't have school? Should I try to get an internship with a team or should I play for a college summer team and get a job elsewhere? Or what did you do during your summers when you were in college? If you did any internships that would be great to know how they were and if they were paid or not. I am just trying to figure out how I can best prepare myself to work for a MLB team after I graduate college. Thank you!

[@RandellKanemaru]

Hey man - So I wanted to go pro so I always played summer ball. In my mind, I only really have one shot to go pro, but I have the rest of my life to work. That's just how I thought, doesn't mean that's how you think. What I would suggest is to think about what you want both now and in the future. If there's something that matches both, I would go for that.

[@MLB414]

@@RandellKanemaruThank you for your advice!

[@tonyrichmond]

Love your videos man! Some questions, What type of internship did you take and where did you find it? I want to scout and do the replay. Does a college degree in statistics help? Does baseball background help? This is literally my dream job! Thanks!

[@RandellKanemaru]

thank you! I initially got an advance scouting internship. A stats degree definitely helps! but advance is a lot of baseball knowledge on top of that. My baseball background helps a lot because my job is so baseball-forward. I don't do any modeling or anything like that, we have R&D guys specifically for that.

[@tonyrichmond]

thank you so much.

[@maxmajewski7696]

Do the Rays offer summer internships for college students in the front office?

[@RandellKanemaru]

It depends on need, same with most teams. I would check the teams job boards!

[@metsfan5438]

So my dream job is to work in the MLB front offices with advanced stats. Do I need to start learning more about how to calculate advanced stats like WAR and wRC+ or am I fine with just understanding what the stats mean?

[@RandellKanemaru]

I don't know how to calculate them, but I'm not in R&D. Knowing how to interpret would be super useful though! That's mostly what I do!

[@gideonengelhard3919]

I graduated May 2022 and worked my first finance job in wealth management. Deep down I have always wanted a sports front office job. Honestly whether that's MLB, NFL, or NBA I'd love it as it's my passion. Any tips you have on where to look for these jobs and apply?

[@RandellKanemaru]

Yea - I would say what I said in the video is probably what helped me the most. Something I didn't do well was produce any outside work that showed my skills in baseball. Being on the hiring side now, I know how helpful that is for new candidates.

[@gideonengelhard3919]

@@RandellKanemaru Appreciate it, are these type of job postings mostly on LinkedIn, TeamWorkOnline, Indeed? Just trying to figure the best place to look and start applying to get in the door

[@Lauren-zy3kf]

I am a high school student who is super interested in working in baseball one day. However, I’m a girl so I have never played baseball. I do play softball, but that isn’t something I see myself doing in college. Do you think that will set me back from one day working in baseball? I already have a pretty good understanding for most advanced statistics, and I’m regularly on FanGraphs, baseball savant, and baseball reference. What else can I do to increase my chances? Thank you for this video!

[@RandellKanemaru]

No I don't think that's a disadvantage at all! Since you've played softball, you have at least a feel for the game. One thing I would recommend is doing some research projects or building any models that display your knowledge of baseball, and answer any interesting questions you may have about the game. Most candidates just submit a resume and that's all; but if you can display some of your skill set right away, it could set you apart from the rest of the candidates! Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@Lauren-zy3kf]

@@RandellKanemaru Thank you so much! It’s a dream of mine to one day work in baseball. What role, I don’t know but just be involved with the sport I love. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to answer my question. Best of luck to the Rays this year (not too much luck thought, as I am a Yankees fan lol). I’ll definitely let you know if I have any other future questions.

[@qz1311]

If i wanted to do this type of work, would doing an internship with a sports agency help bring value in your opinion?

[@RandellKanemaru]

Yea I think so! It’s better than no sports experience at all! Last year one of our interns was hired from a player agency! That wasn’t his only experience but that’s definitely taken into account (at least for our process)

[@qz1311]

Thanks for the response. I’m finishing up my senior year of college is there anything that you would recommend I should get started at doing right now just to get ahead on things? Maybe a certain computer program that you had to get used to or a specific scouting tool? Basically I want to know how I can be as valuable as possible when I first get started.

[@RandellKanemaru]

Most teams use SQL for data so I would start to learn that, as well as network with anyone and everyone in the industry. The bigger you can build your network, the more opportunities you’ll see for interviews

[@brandenhozey3144]

do you have any advice for early programs or things to do in general for highschoolers?

[@RandellKanemaru]

I would say build a portfolio of work that shows your baseball knowledge/ideas. Most people just have a diploma but that would make you stand out!

[@brandenhozey3144]

@@RandellKanemaru thank you so much

[@thatbaseballfanatic]

Would you recommend trying to get internships with lower level minor league teams/ independent ball teams to build connections and experience first? (As a college student)

[@RandellKanemaru]

Yes, I would recommend any internship to get into the industry! Getting in is the hardest part, and the connections and skills you learn from that internship will definitely help you in the future!

[@thatbaseballfanatic]

@@RandellKanemaru Thanks a bunch! Love your content btw!

[@RandellKanemaru]

Thanks man! I appreciate your support 😊

[@alexhickey647]

Do you feel a specific degree is required for this type of career? My major is Environmental Studies, Geography and Planning, very unrelated, but do you feel its possible to spin your degree a certain way? Great vid btw, i see your TikTok’s all the time

[@RandellKanemaru]

I think in most cases, you can spin it. My major was psychology, which isn’t directly related to baseball but helps with interactions and just personal relationships. I think you can learn different skills in many different situations, and at least with the rays, it’s not necessary to have a quant degree of you aren’t gonna be in R&D.

[@janethechemist]

I’m going to study now so I can get a job with the rays 🫡

[@RandellKanemaru]

appreciate your support kini