Cleveland Browns: Analytics is different from moneyball

Moneyball is the name given to the approach pioneered by Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta in Oakland. In the best-selling book Moneyball, financial journalist and economist Michael Lewis tells how the financially strapped Oakland Athletics used economics to restructure their team. The goal: win an unfair game.

The problem for Beane and DePodesta was economic. They did not have the financial resources of other teams in Major League Baseball. They needed a way to not only level the playing field but also create an advantage.  Lewis describes that, similar to selling stock derivatives for more than the price of the whole, the Oakland A’s decided to see baseball from a statistical perspective and take advantage of market inefficiencies. The inefficiency they decided to exploit: on-base percentage in hitters and ground ball to fly ball ratio in pitchers.

Exploiting market inefficiencies, the Oakland Athletics rebuilt their team in a new image. Instead of the traditional speedy leadoff men followed by power hitting corner players, the A’s decided to stock their team with market cast-offs who could get on base. They also brought in pitchers who could induce ground ball outs. With this, Moneyball was born.

The A’s were wildly successful come the end of the first season of Moneyball. They won 20 consecutive games at one point, tying them for fourth all time for consecutive wins. However, success did not come immediately that season. What went wrong and how to Beane and DePodesta fix it?

Next: From Moneyball to Analytics