Mack Ade - ‘Moneyball’ Revisited

I’d like you to do me a favor.

I want you to dust off your copy of ‘Moneyball and then read, in order, chapters 2 and 5. These two chapters represent the essence of what came to be the name of this book.

There are no big secrets anymore about OBP, OPS, and BB/9. The book and the movie shared that with the world. We can also now say that Billy Beane might have drafted most of the guys he wanted that year, but that doesn’t mean they panned out. Drafting is not an exact science and I’m going back in the other direction again.

Then again, I am fascinated with ‘pop time’, RPMs on curves, home-1^st, and exit speeds. In a strange way, statistics are starting to become more individualized and less, well, statistical.

So, how does this translate nine years after the book?

Well, it took me less than a minute to find the 2012 ranking for the most base-on-balls in Division-1, NCAA:  In order, tied for first, FSU senior Sherman Johnson (14^th round) and New Mexico State junior Tanner Waite  (not drafted), FSU senior James Ramsey (1^st round), Clemson junior Richie Shaffer (1^st round), and FSU (don’t they swing down there?)  Stephen McGee (RS-So) (not drafted).

What?

Are you trying to tell me that two of the top five ballplayers in college, when it comes to walking, weren’t even drafted by DePo in the closing rounds?

What happened to all this Moneyball bullshit?

Yeah, I know, McGee hit only .230, but he did have 46-RBIs… but Waite hit .301/.472/.421/.893 for New Mexico State. Sure, they are both coming back, but can’t you drop a 39^th pick and a phone call (not particularly in that order) to see if they want to go pro… now?

I’m just saying…