Before working in MLB, Cardinals' new POBO Chaim Bloom was a baseball blogger

If you were keeping up with baseball blog sites back in the early 2000s, Baseball Prospectus was the place to be. Going through their archives, there are some really interesting stories still worth reading, like "When Greatness Comes Early: Being Realistic About Young Players," "Murderer’s Row: How Good Are the Cardinals Now?" and "Evaluating A-Rod: Is He Worth the Money in Today’s Market?"

What did all of those stories have in common? They were written by St. Louis Cardinals' new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom.

So the next time you tell me I don't know what I'm talking about because I'm a blogger...take that! (Joking!!!)

Bloom one of actually quite a bit of people within the game of baseball who cut their teeth a bit by writing about the game prior to being involved in it. Now, the reason Bloom got a chance to work with the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, and now the St. Louis Cardinals wasn't because he wrote great blogs, but it is really fun to think about how he once sat behind a computer screen to write about baseball because of his love for the game. And hey, now you can get a look into the early baseball mind of Bloom!

Before a career in baseball, new Cardinals president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, was a baseball blogger.

Now, let's be completely fair here, Bloom wasn't just a baseball blogger sitting in his basement until he got a call to get into the industry. While Bloom was blogging, he was completing his bachelor's degree in Latin Classics from Yale and earned internships with both Major League Baseball and the San Diego Padres while continuing to write about the game.

Added to that, Bloom's love for the game goes far beyond just his desire to be a part of running a franchise. Many have lauded Bloom's knowledge when it comes to the history of the game. He's not just a fan of what we see on the field now; he's someone who can tell you more about baseball in the late 1800s than most people on this planet.

Bloom's path toward baseball that started outside of the box, his intelligence, background working in quality organizations, experience leading in multiple settings, and passion for the tradition of the game, is the exact mold of someone you would think could have a ton of success in St. Louis. As Bloom was quick to highlight in his opening press conference, the Cardinals organization has been at the forefront of baseball in multiple different generations, and now he is on a mission to get them back to that level of stature within the sport.

Who knows how successful he will be in doing that? Over the last two years, Bloom has been in the background, studying and then implementing changes to the Cardinals' minor league system. This year, the Cardinals took clear steps forward across the board throughout their farm system, so it's hard not to already feel pretty good about the direction Bloom is taking the organization in. It will be a long process, but if Bloom's plan is successful, the Cardinals will be competing at a high level far longer than it took them to get back to that place.

And to think, two decades ago, Bloom was posting baseball blogs and dreaming about having his foot in the door with an organization. I guess the moral of the story is that there is hope for all of us ;)