Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a book by Michael Lewis, published in

2003, about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane. Its
focus is the team's analytical, evidence-based, sabermetric approach to assembling a
competitive baseball team despite Oakland's small budget. A film based on the book,
starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, was released in 2011.

Contents

 1Synopsis
 2Impact
 3People discussed in the book
o 3.1Oakland farm system
o 3.2Oakland bullpen
o 3.3Other players
o 3.4Scouts, management, and journalists
 4Analysis of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft
o 4.1Beane's list
o 4.2Oakland's picks
 5Reception
 6Film
 7In popular culture
 8See also
 9References
 10External links

Synopsis[edit]
The central premise of Moneyball is that the collective wisdom of baseball insiders (including
players, managers, coaches, scouts, and the front office) over the past century is subjective
and often flawed. Statistics such as stolen bases, runs batted in, and batting average, typically
used to gauge players, are relics of a 19th-century view of the game and the statistics available
at that time. Before sabermetrics was introduced to baseball, teams were dependent on the
skills of their scouts to find and evaluate players. Scouts are experienced in the sport, usually
having been players or coaches.[1] The book argues that the Oakland A's' front office took
advantage of more analytical gauges of player performance to field a team that could better
compete against richer competitors in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Rigorous statistical analysis had demonstrated that on-base percentage and slugging
percentage are better indicators of offensive success, and the A's became convinced that
these qualities were cheaper to obtain on the open market than more historically valued
qualities such as speed and contact. These observations often flew in the face of conventional
baseball wisdom and the beliefs of many baseball scouts and executives.
By re-evaluating their strategy in this way, the 2002 Athletics, with approximately $44 million in
salary, were competitive with larger market teams such as the New York Yankees, who spent
over $125 million in payroll that season. Because of its smaller budget, Oakland had to find
players undervalued by the market, and their system has proven itself thus far. The approach
brought the A's to the playoffs in 2002 and 2003.
Lewis explored several themes in the book, such as insiders vs. outsiders (established
traditionalists vs. upstart proponents of sabermetrics), the democratization of information
causing a flattening of hierarchies, and "the ruthless drive for efficiency
that capitalism demands". The book also touches on Oakland's underlying economic need to
stay ahead of the curve; as other teams begin mirroring Beane's strategies to evaluate
offensive talent, diminishing the Athletics' advantage, Oakland begins looking for other
undervalued baseball skills, such as defensive capabilities.

Distribution of team salaries in 2002. Team salaries ranged from about $35 million (the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays) to about $120 million (the New York Yankees)
The Oakland Athletics had the third-lowest team payroll in the league (about $40 million) marginally
higher than that of the Montreal Expos, whose franchise was transferred to the Washington Nationals in
2005.

Moneyball also touches on the A's' methods of prospect selection. Sabermetricians argue that
a college baseball player's chance of MLB success is much higher than a traditional high
school draft pick. Beane maintains that high draft picks spent on high school prospects,
regardless of talent or physical potential as evaluated by traditional scouting, are riskier than
those spent on more polished college players. Lewis cites A's minor leaguer Jeremy
Bonderman, drafted out of high school in 2001 over Beane's objections, as an example of the
type of draft pick Beane would avoid. Bonderman had all of the traditional "tools" that scouts
look for, but thousands of such players have been signed by MLB organizations out of high
school over the years and failed to develop. Lewis explores the A's approach to the 2002 MLB
draft, when the team had a run of early picks. The book documents Beane's often tense
discussions with his scouting staff (who favored traditional subjective evaluation of potential
rather than objective sabermetrics) in preparation for the draft to the actual draft, which defied
all expectations and was considered at the time a wildly successful (if unorthodox) effort by
Beane.
Moneyball traces the history of the sabermetric movement back to such people as Bill
James (now a member of the Boston Red Sox front office) and Craig R. Wright. Lewis explores
how James's seminal Baseball Abstract, published annually from the late 1970s through the
late 1980s, influenced many of the young, up-and-coming baseball minds that are now joining
the ranks of baseball management.[citation needed]
Impact[edit]
Moneyball has entered baseball's lexicon; teams that value sabermetrics are often said to be
playing "Moneyball." Baseball traditionalists, in particular some scouts and media members,
decry the sabermetric revolution and have disparaged Moneyball for emphasizing sabermetrics
over more traditional methods of player evaluation. Nevertheless, Moneyball changed the way
many major league front offices do business. In its wake, teams such as the New York
Mets, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red
Sox, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians,[2] and the Toronto Blue
Jays have hired full-time sabermetric analysts.
When the Mets hired Sandy Alderson – Beane's predecessor and mentor with the A's – as
their general manager after the 2010 season, and hired Beane's former associates Paul
DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi to the front office, the team was jokingly referred to as the
"Moneyball Mets".[3] Like the Oakland A's in the 1990s, the Mets have been directed by their
ownership to slash payroll. Under Alderson's tenure, the team payroll dropped below $100
million per year from 2012 to 2014, and the Mets reached the 2015 World Series (defeating
MLB's highest-payroll team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, en route).
Lewis has acknowledged that the book's success may have hurt the Athletics' fortunes as other
teams accepted sabermetrics, reducing Oakland's edge.[4]
Daryl Morey's own unorthodox approaches in the NBA have been called "Moreyball".
Since the book's publication and success, Lewis has discussed plans for a sequel
to Moneyball called Underdogs, revisiting the players and their relative success several years
into their careers, although only four players from the 2002 draft played much at the Major
League level.
Moneyball has also influenced and been influenced by other professional sports teams
including European club association football (soccer). Beane has regarded Arsenal's former
manager Arsène Wenger as a personal idol. Beane has held discussions with Wenger,
former Manchester United F.C. manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and Liverpool F.C. owner John W.
Henry.[5] His friendship with ex-Arsenal scout Damien Comolli and Arsenal owner Stan
Kroenke allowed him to delve deep into the world of English football.[6]According to El
País, Liverpool F.C. co-owner John W. Henry didn't trust public opinion so he looked for a
mathematical method similar to the one used for Boston Red Sox (in guiding them to
three World Series wins) which he also owns via Fenway Sports Group.[7] The mathematical
model turned out to be that of Cambridge physicist Ian Graham, which was used to select the
manager (Jürgen Klopp) and players essential for Liverpool to win the 2018-19 UEFA
Champions League.[8][9]

People discussed in the book[edit]

Moneyball also covers the lives and careers of several baseball personalities. The central one
is Billy Beane, whose failed playing career is contrasted with wildly optimistic predictions by
scouts.
Players and people discussed in Moneyball:

Oakland farm system[edit]

Nick Swisher, the prospect the traditional scouts and statisticians agreed upon.

 Barry Zito – 2002 AL Cy Young winner, part of the "Big 3" with Mulder and Hudson (below)
 Mark Mulder – part of the "Big 3" with Zito and Hudson
 Tim Hudson – Not drafted by Beane; part of the "Big 3" with Mulder and Zito
 Kirk Saarloos
 John Baker
 Joe Blanton
 Jason Giambi – Not drafted by Beane. 2000 AL MVP, signed with the New York
Yankees in 2002 for $120 million over 7 years
 Miguel Tejada – Not drafted by Beane; 2002 AL MVP
 Eric Chavez – Not drafted by Beane; six-time AL Gold Glove winner
 Jeremy Brown
 Nick Swisher
 Bobby Crosby
 Mark Teahen
 Jeremy Bonderman – traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2002
Oakland bullpen[edit]
 Jason Isringhausen – signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2001–02 offseason
 Billy Koch – 2002 AL Relief Pitcher of the Year
 Chad Bradford
 Jim Mecir
 Ricardo Rincón
 Mike Magnante
Other players[edit]
Kevin Youkilis

 Kevin Youkilis – referred to in the book as the "Greek God of Walks". Youkilis was drafted
in 2001 by the Boston Red Sox and heavily desired by Beane, who tried to snare him via a
failed three-team trade discussed in the book.
 Prince Fielder – son of former slugger Cecil Fielder, drafted in 2002 year by the Milwaukee
Brewers. Claimed by Beane to be "too fat" even for the A's.
 B. J. Upton, now known by his birth name of Melvin Upton, Jr. – cited as an example of
"bad high school" draft pick.
 Scott Kazmir – cited as an example of teams' – in this case the New York Mets –
foolishness in drafting high school pitchers because of the difficulty in projecting their
future, as opposed to college players.
 Jamie Moyer – then with the Seattle Mariners
 Ray Durham – traded to the Oakland A's in the middle of 2002, cited as a potent base-
stealer and "rent-a-player": an impending free agent who would likely attract large offers
from other clubs with larger available payrolls than Oakland's while leaving Oakland with
draft picks in the next year's draft, a rule since abolished with the 2011 Major League
Baseball Collective Bargaining Agreement. Durham would eventually sign with the San
Francisco Giants.
 Terrence Long
 Erik Hiljus
 David Justice
 Jeremy Giambi
 Alex Rodriguez – Beane compares A-Rod's stats to those of Eric Chavez.
 Greg Maddux
 Cliff Floyd
 Alfonso Soriano
 Jeff Francis
 Zack Greinke – drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2002
 Scott Hatteberg
Scouts, management, and journalists[edit]
 Billy Beane – GM
 Paul DePodesta – Assistant GM
 David Forst – scout
 Grady Fuson – Head of scouting
 Ron "Hoppy" Hopkins – National cross-checker scout
 Chris Pittaro – scout
 J. P. Ricciardi – worked under Beane and DePodesta as Director of Player Personnel
 Sandy Alderson – Beane's predecessor and mentor with the Athletics
 Peter Gammons – Sportswriter
 Art Howe – Oakland manager
 Ron Washington – Athletics coach
 Joe Morgan – Hall of Fame second baseman and ESPN broadcaster
 Steve Phillips – New York Mets GM
 Bill James – baseball writer and statistician whose Baseball Abstract books greatly
influenced Beane
 Omar Minaya – Montreal Expos GM