Cleveland Browns look to ‘Moneyball’ guru Paul DePodesta to revive ailing fortunes

The Cleveland Browns hired Major League Baseball executive Paul DePodesta of Moneyball fame as their chief strategy officer yesterday, taking an unconventional route to fix their NFL woes.

DePodesta, 43, had served as the vice president of player development and scouting for the New York Mets since 2010, and helped the franchise reach the World Series this past season.

DePodesta previously had front office roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. He gained further exposure as a key figure of Moneyball, a book-turned-movie that chronicled the Oakland Athletics and their method of using sabermetrics to target players.