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Author JC Bradbury discusses how the Oakland Athletics were able to become a winning team by changing the way teams value players.
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There was a nice.
Theory just got work you know.
And how long is really being in the last proven itself right out in the.
Yeah.
Dark woods where you -- and sometimes don't golden.
That's a clip from the new movie money ball which comes out next week.
Brad Pitt plays the general manager of the Oakland Athletics in the ninety's He ran one of the worst teams in baseball and they had few prospects for improving because we didn't have the big money to invest in the best players.
And who were the best players well at the time everyone all the authorities knew the best players were those the highest -- -- And the most home runs Oakland couldn't afford them.
But then a statistics -- -- who happened to work for the athletics.
The best players in proportion to their cost the general manager decided.
Here and now.
Who are you computer programs -- job -- -- reform.
We're for sharp.
And you're.
-- to statisticians says that certain skills like getting walks were.
Underground statement this so called expert lord I believe there's -- championship team that we can afford because everyone else undervalues like an island of misfit toys.
Also the statistics showed certain players would be better off playing a different position we want you for fish I -- ever played cash.
Not that hard don't watch it's incredibly -- a result of questioning authority turned out to be more win at least.
-- -- happening I don't.
-- everything we know about based.
So here to explain this to us non authority is is Brad Pitt.
-- we couldn't get -- so instead.
We got the author of the book the baseball economists JC Brad berries so how did this work and what happened well money -- a great story -- bucking the conventional wisdom.
Billy being solvent if He was going to look at is the generally in general -- over the nation if He was going to put a winning team on the field He would -- undervalued assets that no other team was looking at.
And He did I mean is that the one clips no this isn't working out so well exactly so if you took a common statistic like the batting average at that.
The cornerstone of the Triple Crown in baseball.
It's very exciting to watch players get -- you don't watch balls -- over the fence when a player it's a walk that's not very exciting.
Billy mean and people who -- form found out that hey if we can get guys who -- walking a lot.
They're not being paid a lot of money but they can generate not just as many months but more runs and a lot of -- other team for generating.
Because they consistently get on base.
And just to set up why Oakland couldn't afford to get the home run hitters the yankees' payroll averaged a 138 million.
The athletics a mere 42 -- Right and so what are you gonna do if the competition's outspent and you like that and really know what to blame Billy dean if He just said you know what all I'm doing is what I can and you know and -- -- years -- B five to take another job in baseball He wanted to win so He wanted to win He -- -- there and find is undervalued players.
The authorities said athletic physique is important.
Well and that's one that anything storage in the book that sort of the main players you go out and get Chad Bradford who throws and a unconventional manner Jim -- -- who led.
A club feet David Justice who was an aging star Scott patty berg.
Who played catcher but was all the sudden force play first base after his arm was totally shot and it turned out to be a pretty good player.
So -- didn't matter so much I guess I've been tried to get but missed out on Kevin Youkilis well that was one of the people they really wanna get the book is Kevin you close to is unknown at the time the book is written now he's one of the best players in Major League Baseball and one of the stars of the Boston Red Sox.
-- -- -- Well it He wouldn't be considered jury maybe you've made your top athlete and of but He certainly -- very good baseball player.
The authorities said this of a player's strikes out.
That's bad you don't want those -- well you know the making out as bad in the strike out just one way to make out to you look at a player like Adam Dunn and although he's not having a great season this year.
Throughout his career.
When used wasn't striking out He was hitting home runs He was walking velocity was a very valuable player despite the fact He struck out so much.
Now the clip from the movie.
Showed failure so what happened to the athletics.
Well what happened was they turn to -- it was winning basically about seventy games a year the five years before being became general manager.
Into a team that was winning about 85 to ninety games a year following that so He really -- the team -- change the culture around and didn't spend a lot of money doing it.
And they had a record during that period that word is as good as the Yankees about what that they were in the same range -- they were going to the playoffs and they were one of the top teams in the league absolutely.
But they never got to the World Series never won a world -- -- any other sort of sort of another aspect.
Again -- -- sort of a knock on Billy mean they're -- two things going on here one is that when you get to a playoff series.
They're short series any things can happen sometimes my daughter -- -- immediately and we put a lot she's gonna win.
And so when we have those things happen we can't look at the small samples but another thing that happened was Billy dean an a for really grabbing low hanging fruit that is ideas that people are paying attention to.
About a year after money -- was written.
The undervalues of walks was gone.
The market understood that.
The market gets the word out and pretty soon.
Most of the other teams were looking at the same thing right absolutely saying and what the authority was them.
Is gone now there's no authority in absolutely and Billy -- was certainly looking for new ways to find ways to find faster speedster better pitchers -- other talent that Major League Baseball team for missing and you know sometimes it doesn't work so they're going to recycle right now -- they want to improve and.
I'm struck -- house lol it is before the market response off and I'm thinking of Michael -- -- other book.
Where it left tackle suddenly turned out to be an unbelievably.
Important player.
And suddenly their salaries went from 50000 dollars to a million -- Right I mean that's one of the things about sports it's very culture driven.
And when someone says this is the way it's supposed to be this is what a good player is it's very hard to convince other people and it's even if you bought those trends among -- say well.
You're not -- -- -- you'll have a job -- sports anymore so.
You know I think that's one of the reasons why baseball has been slow so slow to change -- all sports are slow to change.
Well thank you.
