Jed Hoyer, a 1996 graduate of Wesleyan, was named the general manager of the Chicago Cubs on Nov. 1, 2011. He was formerly the GM of the San Diego Padres for the past two seasons, and before that, was the assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Hoyer was a standout player for Wesleyan from 1993-1996, helping the Cardinals win four straight Little Three titles, as well as a key member of the 1994 team that finished as runner-up at the Division III College World Series. He was named to the Division III all-New England team twice, to the second-team in 1996 and the third team in 1995. Primarily a pitcher and shortstop, he received the team's MacNaughten Award given for excellence in baseball in 1995.

The move to Chicago reunites Hoyer with his former Boston boss, Theo Epstein, who was recently named the Cubs' President of Baseball Operations; Hoyer had been with the Red Sox since 2002 and served as as assistant general manager from December 2005 until October 2009, when he was named the eighth G.M. in Padres history.

Hoyer saw time at pitcher and shortstop and in left field as a collegian.  He batted .333 in 1994 while also leading the team on the mound with three saves. The following season, he amassed a team-leading 2.40 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 63.2 innings of work while also hitting at a .424 clip. He holds the program records for saves in a season (seven in 1996) and career (11). He was named a third-team all-New England Division III choice by the ABCA in 1995 and a second-team pick in 1996. He also was twice named a Jewish All-American by the Jewish Post & Opinion. Wesleyan posted a cumulative 86-45-1 record with three outright Little Three titles in Hoyer's four seasons.

Following graduation, Hoyer worked in the admissions office at Kenyon College before returning to his alma mater. At Wesleyan, he served as assistant dean of admission and later became special assistant to the vice president of University Relations. He also served as an assistant baseball coach at the University in 1999 and 2000. He joined the Red Sox at the age of 28 as a baseball operations intern and was named assistant to the general manager in 2003.

While in Boston, Hoyer and Epstein put together a club that brought Boston its first world title in 86 years in 2004 and won another World Series three years later. Hoyer served as co-G.M. from Dec. 12, 2005, to Jan. 19, 2006, when Epstein temporarily left the organization before returning to his original position. In that time, Hoyer traded for Florida Marlins star pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell, who would be named American League Championship Series and World Series MVP, respectively, in 2007. He has also received acclaim for joining Epstein on a Thanksgiving trip to the house of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling, who later accepted a trade to the Red Sox and helped lead the team to the 2004 World Series title.

In his first year in San Diego, Hoyer's Padres enjoyed their highest win total in 12 years with a 90-72 season, just the fourth 90-win season in franchise history. The Padres had gone 75-87 the season before Hoyer's arrival. The team finished second in the NL West, two games behind the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants.