Spring Break
Column: Analyzing Billy Beane
by Dan Passner
Sports | 9/2/03
Posted online at 12:25 AM EST on 9/2/03
Granted, what Beane accepts on a statistical level is more than any other GM (with the possible exceptions of Red Sox executive Theo Epstein and the Blue Jays' JP Ricciardi), but that does not make him a genius. It just means that Beane is not a fool, because the GMs that ignore this data that can be freely had are utterly inept.
Billy Beane does not successfully acquire on-base machines. The A's this season feature such sinkholes as Terrence Long, Jermaine Dye and Adam Piatt. Beane gave a $2 million contract to Chris Singleton, a player whose season walk totals entering 2002 were 20,22,35 and 21. That cannot be considered a serious effort to acquire on-base percentage. The A's do have a few players who can take a walk, notably lefty Erubiel Durazo and second baseman Mark Ellis, but it is not an exceptional number of on-base hounds such as would befit the description given in "Moneyball."
It is undeniable that Beane is above average at acquiring players through multi-team trades. However, the misguided notion of Beane as some smooth operator is like saying that Dean Koontz is a serious writer. Beane generally gets what he wants without giving up very much to get it, which is the mark of a successful trade, but such is the case with 90% of all MLB transactions.
It is rare that a trade seems so lopsided when it is made that it cannot be spun around to look like a good trade for either side.
Beane has made a few deals that were perceived as one-sided, such as his acquisition of Carlos Pena prior to the 2002 season. However, he has also made a move that is beyond unpardonable, his trade of Jeremy Giambi for John Mabry when the A's got off to a slow start in 2002. This was, quite possibly, one of the most pointless trades in the past 50 years of the franchise.
In the book, the move is shrugged off as simply a "rash reaction." Sorry, Billy, you don't get a pass simply because you are "Billy."
As for the 2002 draft, Beane did do very well. He was able to draft several top prospects whose value had been significantly underrated, including Jeremy Brown. However, he was not working with the incredibly tight budget the book so adamantly suggests. Beane was only working with a few million less than all but the richest clubs.
Billy Beane does not successfully acquire on-base machines. The A's this season feature such sinkholes as Terrence Long, Jermaine Dye and Adam Piatt. Beane gave a $2 million contract to Chris Singleton, a player whose season walk totals entering 2002 were 20,22,35 and 21. That cannot be considered a serious effort to acquire on-base percentage. The A's do have a few players who can take a walk, notably lefty Erubiel Durazo and second baseman Mark Ellis, but it is not an exceptional number of on-base hounds such as would befit the description given in "Moneyball."
It is undeniable that Beane is above average at acquiring players through multi-team trades. However, the misguided notion of Beane as some smooth operator is like saying that Dean Koontz is a serious writer. Beane generally gets what he wants without giving up very much to get it, which is the mark of a successful trade, but such is the case with 90% of all MLB transactions.
It is rare that a trade seems so lopsided when it is made that it cannot be spun around to look like a good trade for either side.
Beane has made a few deals that were perceived as one-sided, such as his acquisition of Carlos Pena prior to the 2002 season. However, he has also made a move that is beyond unpardonable, his trade of Jeremy Giambi for John Mabry when the A's got off to a slow start in 2002. This was, quite possibly, one of the most pointless trades in the past 50 years of the franchise.
In the book, the move is shrugged off as simply a "rash reaction." Sorry, Billy, you don't get a pass simply because you are "Billy."
As for the 2002 draft, Beane did do very well. He was able to draft several top prospects whose value had been significantly underrated, including Jeremy Brown. However, he was not working with the incredibly tight budget the book so adamantly suggests. Beane was only working with a few million less than all but the richest clubs.
