"Moneyball" - A Look Back - Part Two

Having discussed "Moneyball" in general terms I now want to look at the book in specific terms. I will start today with the Preface and the first six chapters. My goal here is not to exacerbate the stale “stats vs. scouts” debate but instead to give it context, to identify what the book says rather than allowing people to frame the issues.Preface Lewis opens the book with a general overview of what he wants to accomplish. He asks the question “how did one of the poorest teams in baseball…win so many games?” (pg. XI). From there he talks about the success of the Athletics and notes that the A’s were second to only the Atlanta Braves in the three year period ranging from 2000-2002 in wins.If one were inclined to look deeper you would find that during Billy Beane’s tenure (1997-2009) the Athletics are sixth in victories behind five teams with substantially greater payrolls (Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Cardinals, Angels).Lewis does not get into specifics in the preface but does ...