Brady Ballard returns for his second year in Daytona, his fifth in professional baseball. An accomplished player at the University of Illinois, Brady was part of an Illini team that won the Big Ten championship and played in an NCAA regional. He played a year of professional baseball with the Rockford Riverhawks of the independent Frontier League. He then started his front-office career with the Jacksonville Suns, the double-A affiliate of the Dodgers. In his first season with the Cubs, Brady was part of a staff which won the 2006 Bob Freitas Award.

Brady graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in economics. He says his favorite part of his job is being friends with Cubby and pulling the tarp at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in a complete downpour. Away from the ballpark, Brady spends his time exercising, biking on the beach, and doing yard work. His favorite Daytona destination is his chair at home.

Brady is a native of Jacksonville, Illinois. He currently resides in Daytona Beach with his wife, Gina.