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September 12, 2012

Punk Hits

What Billy Beane is Doing Again

Everyone loves an underdog, and we’ve had some great stories this year. The Pirates were great while they lasted, and the Orioles... well, we project Baltimore to go 9-13 the rest of the way and miss the Wild Card entirely. But it was fun, wasn’t it?

And then there’s the Athletics. The lowly A’s, the least-valuable of the 30 MLB franchises at “only” $321 million. They of the skinflint ownership, endless stadium struggles, and ridiculously low ticket revenues. None of this is news, of course. We all saw that movie based on the book that Brad Pitt wrote about the guy from Parks & Recreation. That crafty Billy Beane always finds a way to do more with less! It’s the feelgood story of the year.

As of today, the Athletics are in first place in the AL Wild Card, we project them to go 11-11 the rest of the way. Barring some kind of catastrophic collapse, that should net them one of the two Wild Card spots, and we’ll find out whether or not Billy Beane’s shit works in a one-game playoff. And they’re doing it all with the second-lowest payroll in baseball, just behind the aforementioned Pirates.

According to BP’s Compensation page, the A’s total salary for 2012 is $53,475,00 for 31 players. And the A’s front office has trimmed that $53.5 million figure even further by shipping out Kurt Suzuki and Brian Fuentes, each of whom was owed $5 million for the season, for some marginal savings. (Moving Suzuki also saved the A’s an additional $6.5 million in 2013 salary commitments.)

(Aside: Didn’t trading Suzuki seem kinda crazy at the time? The A’s were still in contention, and here are the A’s, trading a guy who’s not only the face of the franchise (such as it is), but who’s also handling a very young and inexperienced pitching staff. But G

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19 comments have been left for this article.

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Hendo

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". . . literal shit-tons"? Go back to metaphor school.

Sep 12, 2012 06:55 AM

rating: -22

HonusCobb

A friend informed me to how Kruk once responded to the A's success this year. Something about Beane finally ditching that Moneyball stuff. Really Kruk?

Sep 12, 2012 08:32 AM

rating: 4

TheArtfulDodger

Not sure if it's been mentioned in another space but I'm assuming that Phoenix was meant to be Oakland here: "There’s not a pitching hydra in Phoenix..."

If it was meant to be Phoenix I'm just missing something.

Sep 12, 2012 10:08 AM

rating: 0

Ian Miller

BP staff

Probably a bit of a stretch on my part, but I meant to refer to the A's minor-league complex in Arizona. Sorry it wasn't clearer!

Sep 12, 2012 10:11 AM

TheArtfulDodger

Ah, thought it might have been referencing a minor league area but then thought it would be Sacramento or something. Thanks for the clarification.

Sep 12, 2012 15:30 PM

rating: 0

Vicmill1

Any writer who can use myriad correctly is welcome in my family. I have to say i truly admire the way you teach me stuff and make me laugh. I am ADHD before it was invented but you keep me going through all the percentages and image-pounding and I love it.

Sep 12, 2012 10:21 AM

rating: 2

LynchMob

I've been an A's fan since moving to the area in 1974 ... lots of up's & down's ... a fun ride! Let's Go A's!

Any talk of a Moneyball II movie?

Sep 12, 2012 10:31 AM

rating: 0

Ian Miller

BP staff

At the very least, I hope someone covering the team is working on a book. Even if they don't go all the way, I would absolutely read a book about this bunch.

And imagine if they *do* win it all!

Sep 12, 2012 10:37 AM

Kreylix

I would be up for a decent book on the Rookies of the 2012 A's.

Sep 12, 2012 10:51 AM

rating: 0

Kreylix

...Winning teams often have key players having Career Years. For the A's, it's a Career Rookie Crop of Non-A-Level Prospects.

Sep 12, 2012 10:53 AM

rating: 0

lopkhan00

Yes. It will be titled "Weekend at Bernie's III".

Go A's!

Sep 12, 2012 11:49 AM

rating: 5

apbadogs

So where do the A's fall on the list of most unexpected playoff teams, assuming they get in? They have to be near the top, not?

Sep 12, 2012 11:00 AM

rating: 0

Ian Miller

BP staff

A quick perusal of this page http://www.baseballprospectus.com/odds/ suggests "yes." From (essentially) 0 to 87%. No one else is even remotely close.

Sep 12, 2012 11:04 AM

gweedoh565

"Vernon Wells is earning just shy of $49 million per WARP."

My favorite stat.

Sep 12, 2012 12:11 PM

rating: 10

PeterBNYC

What he said.

Sep 12, 2012 12:28 PM

rating: 2

pobothecat

I'd be interested to know more about the A's success with pitching --- because this has been going on for, what, five, years now? Was it the spring of '08 when, suddenly, those nutty A's were actually going to fill their entire rotation with a bunch of clearly-not-ready double-AA arms --- Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Dallas Braden? It can't all be scouting. There's a coaching thing going on in Modesto or thereabouts that is, very quietly, producing top-shelf young itching every bit the equal of Tampa Bay's --- and in a fraction of the gestation time.

Sep 12, 2012 14:25 PM

rating: 3

JoshC77

And up until recently when Anderson returned, not one of those 4 pitchers threw a single pitch for this ballclub...(granted, Gonzalez's and Cahill's contributions to this team via trade have been quite valuable)

Glad you said this though pobo....this franchise just keeps churning out young pitchers and then they sell them off for more young arms and other parts....

When it all comes together, it is a sight to behold.

Sep 12, 2012 15:05 PM

rating: 2

nberlove

The aggregate WAR to date of all A's players is 23.7 games. At this point of the season, a team of replacement players should have about 48 wins (88% of 54). So, based on WAR, the A's should have 71-72 wins. Similarly, they are 10 wins above their expected Pythagorean total. It looks like they have been a very luck team.

Sep 14, 2012 08:02 AM

rating: 1

CrashJones

Happy Holidays!!!

I read this article(AND THIS ARTICLE HERE AT BP) today and the comment section was closed…

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/9/26/3413498/oakland-athletics-rookie-starting-pitchers-record

At the time of the article the A’s rotation was…

Jarrod Parker
Travis Blackley
A.J. Griffin
Dan Straily
Tom Milone

I was listening to Effectively Wild and in the episode I was listening to(episode 52) a topic was Ben and Sam discussing whether the A’s all-rookie rotation bodes well for their future.

In the podcast they mentioned that the A’s held the roecord for starts by rookies in a season with 116 in 2009. Here are the pitchers that started in 2009…

Trevor Cahill (32) *
Brett Anderson (30) *
Dallas Braden (22)
Gio Gonzalez (17) *
Vin Mazzaro (17) *
Josh Outman (12) *
Dana Eveland (9)
Clayton Mortensen ( 6) *
Edgar Gonzalez (6)
Brett Tomko (6)

denotes Rookie for 2009
These rookies also started a game for the A’s in 2009. Dan Giese (1), Chad Reineke (1), Brad Kilby (1).

Now that totals 117 for rookies so I am missing something, but you get the idea.

In 2009 the A’s finished 75-87, 4th in the west, 22 games back.

How do you feel about this staff in comparison to the 2009 staff and do you think this staff will remain together longer?.. Better yet, do you think this staff(including Straily) has the makings of a “dynasty” staff?

I have holiday things to take care of but hope to discuss when I return.

In three seasons the WHOLE staff has changed except for Anderson, do you think it will be the same come the 2015 off-season? or do you think Billy Beane may hold on to more of this crop?

I think a lot may hinge on a new stadium deal over the next 5 seasons. If we get a deal in next couple seasons(even thought A’s would have to stay until 2018 under new proposed deal with the O dot) the team may be in a position to extend Cespedes and a few of the pitchers among others.

Dec 27, 2012 20:38 PM

rating: 0

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<< Previous Article
Painting the Black: Ho... (09/12)

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Punk Hits: The Fall an... (09/06)

Next Column >>

Punk Hits: What the He... (09/19)

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The Lineup Card: 11 Ca... (09/12)

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