“Moneyball?”
It’s a term that is used to describe how science and well-spent money can result in more victories.
When Bill James first wrote his statistical encyclopedia, The Baseball Abstract in 1977, many baseball writers and fans ignored what the now-Boston Red Sox statistician was implying.
According to Michael Lewis, author of “Moneyball,” only about 20 people read the book’s first edition.
James used “sabermetrics,” a term used for closely studying baseball statistics. Not just any baseball statistics, such as home runs or RBIs. An example of a sabermetric statistic might be the average number of pitches per at-bat a hitter sees, or the average number of times a player swings at the first pitch in an at-bat.
Most importantly, on-base percentage is the key sabermetrics statistic.
The most famous person to use these statistics in the way he handles his baseball team is Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane.
Beane started to use sabermetrics in the early 21st century as the A’s made the playoffs for four straight seasons from 2000-2003 with a very low budget.
How low of a budget? On Opening Day in 2000, the highest payroll belonged to the eventual World Series champions; the New York Yankees with about $92.5 million. Beane’s A’s managed to win four more games than the Yankees in 2000, but with a $32 million payroll.
So if sabermetrics work, which Beane and James have done a great job proving, why don’t other Major League Baseball teams use this asset?
Through the use of sabermetrics, Beane has never won a World Series. The closest Beane has ever come to winning the World Series was in 2006, when his A’s lost to the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.
On the other hand, the New York Yankees, the most successful franchise in all of professional sports with 26 world championships, haven’t used the tactics of “Moneyball.”
The Yankees made 13 straight playoff appearances prior to 2008, including four world championships, by signing and trading for big names such as Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu, and mixing them with the products of their farm system such as Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada.
The Yankees system has produced four more championships then Beane’s A’s over the last 13 years.
Another reason teams are not using the “Moneyball” tactics is because it doesn’t solve the problem of putting fans in the seats.
It’s nearly impossible for Billy Beane to sell out his Oakland Coliseum, now McAfee Coliseum, because in reality, it is a football stadium, with a capacity of 63,026.
Besides playoff games, the only time the A’s sold more tickets than they usually do, was on the tail end of their historic 20-game winning streak in 2002.
Next to winning, I believe any owner’s biggest concern is the number of fans that show up to watch their team, because the dollar signs rise as attendance rises.
And signing big name stars like an Alex Rodriguez or a Johan Santana puts fans in the seats.
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