SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In the beginning, Theo Epstein suffered through every single loss, even though he knew he was working for something larger. When he took over as the Chicago Cubs' president of baseball operations in 2011, he knew he had a blueprint that had worked before, and he never lost faith that he was headed in the right direction.
He had surrounded himself with good people, and they got through the toughest days together. At times, though, he was tested in ways he never imagined, as the Cubs averaged 95 losses in his first three seasons.
"Look, we believed in the vision," Epstein said on Monday night at the annual General Managers Meetings, where he was recognized by his peers as Sporting News' 2016 Major League Baseball Executive of the Year, selected by 56 Major League executives.