Bankruptball: Has Billy Beane Lost His Touch?

Nine years ago, the Oakland Athletics were on top of the world. Orchestrated by general manager Billy Beane, the 2002 A's amassed an impressive 103 wins, the same as the defending American League Champion New York Yankees. And at what price? About one-third of the Yankees payroll. Beane's methods became the stuff of legend when author Michael Lewis chronicled the 2002 A's season in his best-selling book Moneyball.

Starring Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt as Beane, the movie Moneyball - based on Lewis' book - will hit theaters in a mere month. Meanwhile, many pundits wonder if legendary Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane had lost his edge.

On Wednesday August 24, the New York Times ran an article suggesting the very same thing. Even Beane is not entirely optimistic.

“There are a lot of smart guys running teams now, and a lot of the guys who are smart also have a lot of money,” Beane said. “That’s a pretty tough combination to go against. We’ve all started valuing the same things. - The New York Times.

Since the release of Lewis' best-seller, teams have utilized Bean's methods. They have placed more emphasis on on-base percentage and slugging percentage than ever before, both key statistics in Beane's methods to evaluate players. Players like Brett Gardner and Carlos Ruiz have been discovered and are revered for their ability to grind out at bats and tire pitchers. A .240 hitter is a sought-after commodity because his OBP is a stellar .385.

Teams have turned around. Theo Epstein, using Bill James's wisdoms and Bean's tactics reversed the curse in Boston, winning a World Series in 2004 and 2007.

But unlike Beane's Atheltics, other teams have money. And with money and genius, as Beane pointed out, other teams are tough competition for Oakland.

The Oakland A's have not made the playoffs since they captured the 2006 American League West flag, only to fall to the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. In fact, they have not finished above .500 since their last playoff berth.

Though the A's may not be what they were a decade ago, Beane's work will never go unforgotten.

The 2001 A's won 102 games, seven more than the Yankees. In fact, the A's and the Yankees met in the American League Division Series that year. Oakland took the first two games of the series, putting the Yankees one game away from elimination. Alas, the Yankees mounted a tremendous series comeback, winning the next three games to stun the White Elephants and advance to the American League Championship Series and eventually the World Series. Regardless of Oakland's shortcomings, they were still just one win away from ousting baseball's richest team from the playoffs.

In 2002, Oakland won 20 consecutive games. In the draft, Beane took future Major League outfielder Nick Swisher, now with the Yankees, and the workhorse right-hander Joe Blanton, currently on the Philadelphia Phillies. Shortstop Miguel Tejada won the AL MVP Award, Barry Zito won the AL Cy Young Award, and closer Bill Koch won the AL Relief Man Award. The pitching was perhaps the best in the league as three hurlers dealt over 200 innings - Zito, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson. Mark Mulder had the highest ERA of the three - 3.47 - and won 19 games. Not too shabby. Again, the A's fell short of World Series glory as they bowed to the Minnesota Twins in 5 games in the ALDS.

The impact Beane had on the game at the turn of the century is astounding. Never before had a general manager tried to change the game so radically as Beane. Beane's shrewdness, perseverance, and the team's success in spite of a payroll ranking around the 3rd or 4th lowest in the league immortalized both Beane and the A's in the annals of baseball history.

Beane touched off a revolution in evaluating baseball players nearly a decade ago. He's busted conventional wisdoms, changed the way scouts and baseball officials think, and proved that it does not take a Yankee-sized payroll to contend. But thanks to Lewis, Beane's secrets are out and his edge is gone. Even so, Beane remains one the most respected general managers in the game.