Cubs' Epstein tops Fortune's 'World's Greatest Leaders' list

Fortune magazine named Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein No. 1 in its annual list of World's Greatest Leaders, putting the chief architect of the 2016 World Series champions ahead of such notables of Pope Francis, Melinda Gates and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The magazine's annual list highlights leaders in business, government, philanthropy and the arts who “are transforming the world and inspiring other to do the same.”

In naming Epstein to the top of the list, Fortune notes that in fall 2016 “as partisan district and division reached abysmal depths, fascination with the Chicago Cubs became that all-too-rare phenomenon that united America.”

The magazine said the Cubs owe the end of its 108-year World Champion drought to the five-year rebuilding program led by Epstein, “The wunderkind executive who realized be would need to grow as a leader in order to replicate in Chicago the success he had with the Boston Red Sox.”

The Red Sox, under Epstein's leadership in the early 2000s, ended its more than 80-year World Series Championship drought in 2004.

Epstein was more modest of the honor, telling ESPN's Buster Oakley “Um, I can't even get my dog to stop peeing in the house,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“That is ridiculous. The whole thing is patently ridiculous. It's baseball — a pastime involving a lot of chance,” he added. “If [Ben] Zobrist's ball is three inches farther off the line, I'm on the hot seat for a failed five-year plan. And I'm not even the best leader in our organization; our players are.”

Pope Francis and Melinda Gates were 3 and 4 on the list, behind Jack Ma, founder and owner of Chinese online conglomerate Alibaba. Merkel ranked 10th on the list. The full list of top 50 leaders is here.

• This report was produced in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. For related coverage, check chicago.suntimes.com.