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04/03/2003 Archived Entry: "Today's MLB News: Oakland's Secret Revealed"
Today's MLB News by Eric Gartman
Oakland's Secret Revealed-Recent articles in Newsweek and the NY Times have exposed the secret behind Oakland General Manager Billy Beans' success. Aided by top Ivy Leaguers, Beane has been looking at baseball in a different way in the past few years. According to his aides, speed and batting average are overrated, while on base percentage is underrated. This has led to the slow-footed but powerful A's team that so often have been compared to softballers. It has produced underrated players that have given the A's solid production, like Jeremy Giambi and Matt Stairs. The A's management also applies similiar concepts to pitching, trading fireballers for softer throwers who get batters out. But the best opportunity for the A's to make these kinds of deals comes at midseason, when losing teams begin to trade their players for cheap, allowing the A's to run off terrific second halves in each of the past three seasons. As part of these deals, the A's ask the wealthier teams for cash, which is a small consideration for teams like the Mets. These new standards and methods are not the only reason for the A's success of course. Another part is the excellent scouting system that has come up with Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, and the A's starting pitchers. But even then, luck is a factor: The A's can't really be expected to come up with three great starts like Hudson, Mulder, and Zito on a regular basis.
But alas, all good things must come to an end. And the impoverished A's amazing run of success may be nearing its last days. Owner Steven Schott, never willing to spend any real money, has not only let Jason Giambi go a few years back when he could have kept him, he has now declared that he won't even bother trying to keep Miguel Tejada, as they can't afford him. We don't really know Schott's financial situation since he doesn't release his revenues, but it may be just as likely that he can afford Tejada but doesn't want to, in order to keep the money for himself. Remember the new Collective Baragaining Agreement has led to increased revenue-sharing for the smaller market teams. Some of them, like Twins, have already shown an interest in keeping their team together. Not the the A's. Unless they get a new owner, or some other drastic change occurs, I don't think the A's run will last much longer.
