After landing an internship with the Pittsburgh Pirates during his college days, Stearns bounced around the baseball world, moving to the Arizona Fall League after graduation, then to the Mets, and eventually to a three-and-a-half-year stint with the Commissioner’s office.

“One thing led to another,” Stearns says. “That’s how it seems to work. Once you get in and get a network of people, it makes it slightly easier to move around from one job to another.”

As one of two directors of baseball operations for the Indians, Stearns focuses on “contracts, strategy, and analysis.”

The Harvard graduate shares duties with Derek Falvey, who is responsible for “player personnel and acquisitions.” Falvey worked as an assistant director of baseball operations in the Indians organization immediately before the December promotion.

“[Stearns] was always a very analytical guy, very rational, a real problem solver,” McPhillips says. “He’ll approach any problem or challenge...with the same focus and sense of responsibility and really the same temperament.”

And, according to Stearns, his new position—and working in baseball in general—is about as close to a dream job as he could hope for.

“The great thing is that I’m getting to do something I genuinely enjoy doing,” Stearns says. “Being able to get up every morning and know that my job is to help make a Major League Baseball team better is very exciting.”

“The fact that there are 29 other clubs filled with really smart people trying to do the same thing and that my job is to compete with them is both challenging and exciting,” he adds. “I’m around the game and contributing to making a club better and hopefully win a lot of games.”

According to McPhillips, Stearns showed a competitive edge and leadership qualities throughout his college career.

“Dave is a very responsible, meticulous person,” McPhillips says. “He was always the responsible one in the blocking group, making sure everyone was prepared. When we went on our spring break trip to Las Vegas, he was the one who made sure we had the tickets booked, the hotel booked. He was very responsible and a great roommate.”

And although his time in Cambridge may have been characterized by a straightforward, businesslike style, Stearns expressed sentimental attachment to his Harvard experience.

“When you leave a place like Harvard, you really gain an additional appreciation for the place,” Stearns says. “Getting to the working world and starting to realize that the talent and the intellectual spark isn’t quite the same is daunting and takes a while to adjust.”

“I definitely look back at Harvard with great memories,” he adds. “[I made] some great relationships I’ve been able to keep, and all of my best friends are still my best friends from college. I think that’s a good indicator of how special a place it is here.”

Stearns hasn’t left Harvard behind in his professional life either. Two other recent graduates—Frank Herrmann ’06 and Trey Hendricks ’04—are also involved with the Indians organization.

“It’s a pretty small club and a small industry,” Stearns says. “It’s interesting that there are three of us in the same organization, all from a four or five year span at Harvard. It’s definitely unique that we’re all involved with baseball.”