Book Review: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

In Moneyball, author Michael Lewis examines the correlation between a baseball team's payroll and a team's won-loss record.  He begins by noticing that a team like the Oakland Athletics spent so little (in relative, baseball economic terms) and won so much while other teams spent so much more to get those same number of wins, and in some cases spent so much and won so little.  He was given permission and access to the inner sanctum of the Oakland A's front office in order to investigate what the A's did and why they did it.

I suppose in some ways it's only fitting that I'm writing a review of this book some five years following its publication.  Even before the release of the book, Lewis seems to be fitting himself and the A's brain trust of general manager Billy Beane and assistant general manager Paul DePodesta for the black hat.  The way he tells the story, it's almost as though someone — Lewis, Beane, DePodesta — were spoiling for a fight, daring the baseball universe to call them heretics.  Since its publication, this book has been quoted, misquoted, used, and misused by baseball fans, executives, and analysts alike.  Five years later, there is no denying this book has altered the way game is played, run, analyzed, and discussed.  Whether or not Lewis, Beane, and DePodesta persuade you, modern baseball fans must read this book.

Before we decide whether or not Lewis, Beane, and DePodesta are persuasive, let's attempt to summarize their philosophy.  The first concept you need to understand is scarcity and it's economic impact.  Think of it like this:  why does beach front property cost so much?  In part, because there isn't enough beach front for everyone who would like to live there.  Scarcity makes beach front property more valuable.  That means you have to ask yourself, "Can I pay what it costs to live on the beach and is it worth that to me?"

How does that apply to Moneyball?  The A's dynamic duo looked for traits of winning teams and the skills that produced them that were being undervalued in the marketplace for players.  They examined decades of statistics and asked themselves:  what common characteristics do winning teams have?  In examining those statistics, they determined one characteristic of winning teams is that collectively and individually, they have high on-base percentages (OBP).  They also observed players being awarded gargantuan salaries based on any number of statistical accomplishments, but that OBP was not being rewarded in proportion to its importance in winning baseball games, according to Beane and DePodesta.  Put another way, they helped create a new philosophy for evaluating and compensating players.  That's a vastly oversimplified explanation of one part of a new approach to baseball analysis called sabermetrics.  If I've lost you, don't despair.  Lewis does a good job explaining this in greater depth. 

Article Author: Josh Hathaway

Josh Hathaway is a Sr. Music Editor for Blogcritics. He is formerly an award-winning journalist and broadcaster.

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