Does Moneyball work?

[Reservoir Dog]

The Mets, Yankees, and Padres all missed the playoffs with the 3 highest payrolls in baseball.

The Brewers, D-Backs, Marlins, Rays, and Orioles all made the playoffs with some of the lowest payrolls in baseball.
(the Rays and Orioles payrolls don't even crack $80 million in a year with a $233 million luxury tax threshold)

[CHEEZY17]

I remember those original A's moneyball teams used to give the Tigers fits.
I think "moneyball" has its place for sure.
I also think complacency factors into these things as well. I wholeheartedly believe that a guy who is guaranteed 30 million a year is simply not going to try as hard as a guy trying to establish or prove himself or get to that ridiculous money level himself. There is a reason "contract years" tend to see some good results.
Of course none of that is a hard and fast rule as there will always be guys who will bust their ass no matter their salary because thats just how theyre built.
Which leads back to the "moneyball" method. Is a team made up of a bunch of "try hard" guys better than a team of superstars who get paid regardless of performance? It sure seems that way sometimes.

In this era of ginormous contracts and questionable effort maybe having a guy that you know will always give you his best every day is better than a guy who is more talented but only gives you his best when he feels like it. Theres probably a sweet spot in there somewhere regarding the optimum mixture.

[saltydog]

Sigh.

Moneyball is a fun way of selling the underdog story.

People conveniently ignore that that division was mostly trash where one team would have a decent offense and shit pitching, or vice versa.

Also, three guys named Hudson, Mulder, and Zito probably deserve a bit of credit. Too bad the "efficiency" of the A's couldn't get them through a single round of the playoffs when faced with teams that had more balance.

The Moneyball theory is cute for a regular season run, but come playoff time talent usually wins out.

[FSchmertz]

What it really comes down to is having a great organization.

Is it an accident that the teams that manage to regularly do well seem to find talent where others don't?

Or is it superior scouting, superior minor league coaching, and top flight management?

[B-Tender]

A little off topic, but it seems that the new rules favor athleticism more now. That means younger players.

[FSchmertz]

A little off topic, but it seems that the new rules favor athleticism more now. That means younger players.

Yeah, the rules reward base running skills and fielding range.

The shift could cover over fielding deficiencies for the older sluggers. Though the best of them can "retire" to the designated hitter spot.

[CentralTexasCrude]

All I know is the AL West came down to the last game of the season. Astros won, Texas lost-both in. Seattle out. Wow. Astros won the division and in the playoffs for the 8th straight year. Will not go far though. Don't deserve it.

[Reservoir Dog]

And at the end of the regular season. the Rangers will be 20 games back from the Astros. Bank it.

BANK IT !!!

[Burn1dwn]

The main part of moneyball that works is teams being analytically driven rather than hunches and the eye test. That has definitely over taken baseball in the past 20 years. Some teams spend more money implementing the data into running their teams than others.

[Biker]

Sigh.

Moneyball is a fun way of selling the underdog story.

People conveniently ignore that that division was mostly trash where one team would have a decent offense and shit pitching, or vice versa.

Also, three guys named Hudson, Mulder, and Zito probably deserve a bit of credit. Too bad the "efficiency" of the A's couldn't get them through a single round of the playoffs when faced with teams that had more balance.

The Moneyball theory is cute for a regular season run, but come playoff time talent usually wins out.

Correct answer

Moreover, how many rings did moneyball teams win?

[CentralTexasCrude]

And at the end of the regular season. the Rangers will be 20 games back from the Astros. Bank it.

BANK IT !!!

Like I said, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs. Should have put the field away a long time ago

[B-Tender]

Moneyball does help lower payroll teams. Orioles, Rays, Reds, and Marlins are all playoff teams with payroll under $100M. Does it win the world series every time? No, of course not.

[saltydog]

Moneyball does help lower payroll teams. Orioles, Rays, Reds, and Marlins are all playoff teams with payroll under $100M. Does it win the world series every time? No, of course not.

Of course, anyone with any potential talent will be traded to continue the cycle once again.

Keep payroll down, maximize media and advertising revenue streams and keep sticking a middle finger up to your fan base.

Did you happen to see the attendance for the game in Tampa yesterday?

Thursday evening HS football South of the Mason Dixon line has better attendance.

[Reservoir Dog]

Did you happen to see the attendance for the game in Tampa yesterday?
Thursday evening HS football South of the Mason Dixon line has better attendance.

80% ain't bad for a Tuesday afternoon game.

[B-Tender]

I guess we will see what happens when they get their new park.

[B-Tender]

[Biker]

[B-Tender]

Yeah, that's a real shame that the Dodgers are out again.

[CHEEZY17]

Now that Miguel Cabrera's ridiculous contract is done, maybe the Tigers can use that money to get some actual ball players.

[Reservoir Dog]

Now that Miguel Cabrera's ridiculous contract is done, maybe the Tigers can use that money to get some actual ball players.

The Tigers are in the bottom 10 in payroll even with Cabrera. They could have spent more, they just don't want to.

[CHEEZY17]

Now that Miguel Cabrera's ridiculous contract is done, maybe the Tigers can use that money to get some actual ball players.

The Tigers are in the bottom 10 in payroll even with Cabrera. They could have spent more, they just don't want to.

Yes, the Tigers are very stingy these days but with that Cabrera money now opened up they could in theory spend the exact same amount and get some functioning players that might actually help them win a few more games.
Basically, 32 million is coming off the payroll. I think they can get a couple decent players for that!

[B-Tender]

RIP Peter Seidler. A good human being.

[Burn1dwn]

RIP Peter Seidler. A good human being.

I'm not shocked because obviously he has had health issues but i am a little worried now with all the other news surrounding his soap opera of a team. Hopefully his family wants to support the team as much as he did.

Dude is a SD legend for going for it and trying to get a ring. Its been a fun 10 years. RIP

[CHEEZY17]

RIP Peter Seidler. A good human being.

I'm not shocked because obviously he has had health issues but i am a little worried now with all the other news surrounding his soap opera of a team. Hopefully his family wants to support the team as much as he did.

Dude is a SD legend for going for it and trying to get a ring. Its been a fun 10 years. RIP

Its good for the sport and good for the city as a whole when owners actually care about winning. It really sucks when they obviously dont like our current Tigers ownership. Its such a feeling of powerlessness because there is literally nothing you can do except bitch and not go to games.

[saltydog]

RIP Peter Seidler. A good human being.

I'm not shocked because obviously he has had health issues but i am a little worried now with all the other news surrounding his soap opera of a team. Hopefully his family wants to support the team as much as he did.

Dude is a SD legend for going for it and trying to get a ring. Its been a fun 10 years. RIP

Its good for the sport and good for the city as a whole when owners actually care about winning. It really sucks when they obviously dont like our current Tigers ownership. Its such a feeling of powerlessness because there is literally nothing you can do except bitch and not go to games.

Shame on owners who use their positions to benefit from profit sharing media deals. Fans of the game get robbed of what should be a worthwhile product. See TB, OAK, MIN, PIT, MIA...