Source: www.yardbarker.com
Recently at Forbes.com they released a list of Major League Baseball’s most and least efficient teams for the first half of the 2010 season (88 games). Forbes rated efficiency based on the payroll cost per win for a team. Here are the top and bottom three teams for Major League Baseball:
Top Three Most Effective Teams
San Diego Padres (Record at All-Star break: 51-37)
Payroll: $37.8 million (second lowest payroll in MLB)
First half payroll cost per win: $402,291
Highest paid player: P Chris Young at $6.4 million
Young is currently on the disabled list and has only pitched in one game this season. Despite his injury this season Young has been a valuable asset to the Padres.
Player with most bang for the buck: SP Mat Latos at $407,800
Latos is having his breakout season in the Majors this year with a 10-4 record, 2.45 ERA and 99 K’s.
Player with least bang for the buck: SP Kevin Correia at $3.6 million
Before the All-Star break Correia had a seven-start winless streak and does not have a win since May 31. Correia is a low cost at $3.6 million which is why the Padres were the most effective team in the first half.
The Padres are the league’s most surprising team this season not because they lack talent but because they don’t have the “sexiness” of a big payroll. Most will equate having a small payroll to not having a good team. The rise of unknown players this season with the Padres is because of a great farm system and the trades they have made in recent years. In 2006 the Padres traded for Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez giving up only Billy Killian, Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. Mat Latos was selected number 333 overall in the 2006 amateur draft.
Texas Rangers
Payroll: $55.3 million (fourth lowest payroll in MLB)
First half payroll cost per win: $600,445
Highest paid player: 3B Michael Young at $13.2 million
The five-year, $80 million deal Young signed in 2007 has been worth it in the eyes of the Rangers. His totals have dropped each year since 2005 but Young is a consistent hitter each season and hit .367 in May and .317 in June this season.
Player with most bang for the buck: RP Neftali Feliz at $ 402,000
Feliz is only in his second season in the majors which explains his low salary. He is 25 for 27 in save opportunities with 46 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings pitched this season and has been a reliable closer despite his ERA.
Player with least bang for the buck: SP Scott Feldman at $ 2.4 million
Feldman was signed to a two-year extension earlier this season based on him becoming the ace of the Rangers pitching staff. Feldman had a great season in 2009 with a 17-8 record and 113 K’s. This season however Feldman has not lived up to his price tag having not won a game since June 18 and the Rangers recently acquired pitcher Cliff Lee. At $2.4 million Feldman is not much of a drag on the payroll.
Behind great managing from Ron Washington and a hitting dual of Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton (combined salary of $8.8 million) the Rangers have surpassed all expectations as one of the best teams in the American League. Adding Cliff Lee at relatively no cost money wise, the Mariners sent the Rangers $2.25 million to pay for the rest of his contract, shows the MLB’s fourth lowest payroll can win despite not having the big contracts.
Tampa Bay Rays
Payroll: $71.9 million (12th lowest payroll in MLB)
First half payroll cost per win: $723,082
Highest paid player: 1B Carlos Pena at $10.1 million
Pena is only batting .211 this season however his strongest attributes don’t include hitting for a high average. With 20 home runs and 60 RBI’s he does however hit for power which is where most of his big contract is worth.
Player with most bang for the buck: 3B Evan Longoria at $905,000
Longoria signed a nine-year deal in 2008 with the Rays that pays him relatively low this season based on his value to the team however his yearly salary jumps to over $2 million next season. But for the salary the team is paying him now and the production they get in return, .306 BA, 13 HR’s, 63 RBI’s and .905 OBP, Longoria has one of the best salaries for getting the most bang for the buck.
Player with least bang for the buck: OF Pat Burrell at $9 million.
Burrell is no longer on the Rays roster after being released on May 21 however the team is still on the hook for all of the $9 million owed to him. Burrell hit only .221 with 14 home runs in 122 games last season and had a .201 batting average before he was released.
Despite having two players with $10 million salaries and one player no longer on the team at $9 million the Rays have received great production this season from players with low-end salaries like pitcher David Price ($1.9 million) and 2B Ben Zobrist ($438,100).
Three Least Effective Teams
Chicago Cubs
Payroll: $147 million (Third highest payroll in MLB)
First half payroll cost per win: $2.07 million
Highest paid player: OF Alfonso Soriano at $19 million
Of all the bloated contracts the Cubs are on the books for Soriano’s is probably the one worth the money but that is not a good thing. Although his defense is suspect he has been solid in hitting since 2007 when he signed with the Cubs. A concern though is his contract runs through 2014 when he will be 38 years old.
Player with most bang for the buck: OF Tyler Colvin at $ 401,000
Colvin has been seeing more consistent playing time as the season has progressed. The more playing time he gets the more he produces. He is batting .270 BAA with 13 HR’s and 34 RBI’s.
Player with least bang for the buck: SP Carlos Zambrano at $18.8 million
How much is a tirade worth? After Zambrano’s dugout incident he has not pitched in the majors since June 25 and even when he rejoins the Cubs he will most likely go to the bullpen. Since 2008, the first year after he signed a five-year $91.5 million deal, Zambrano’s production has dropped in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched and opponent’s batting average has risen.
The Cubs have eight players with a salary of $12 million or more per year. The eight salaries combined equal over $120 million which is higher than 24 team payrolls.
Seattle Mariners
Payroll: $86.5 million (14th highest payroll in MLB)
First half payroll cost per win: $1.5 million
Highest paid player: OF Ichiro Suzuki at $18 million
Ichiro is the Mariners lone offensive force on the team. Unless you are a Mariners fan you sometimes forget about Ichiro. The M’s are usually at the bottom of the AL West each season but it is when you look at his stats you remember how valuable a player he is. Ichiro is batting .317 with 27 RBI’s, 35 runs and 22 stolen bases this season. He is one of the few MLB stars that deserves his big contract and never seems to complain about being on a losing team.
Player with most bang for the buck: RP Jason Vargas at $ 412,500
Vargas is relatively unknown on pitching rotation with Felix Hernandez that used to include Cliff Lee. His 6-4 record is nothing to get excited about but when you are on a team that does not give you run support your win totals will be low. His value to the team is in his strikeouts (77), innings pitched (115.1), and ERA (2.97).
Player with least bang for the buck: OF Milton Bradley at $11 million
Bradley is baseball’s version of Terrell Owens, burning bridges with every team he goes to. Bradley is not worth anywhere near the amount of money teams have paid for him because of his attitude. He has been with six different teams since 2005 and he could either be released or traded at some point this season. With his lack of production at the plate this season Bradley has struggled batting just .206 with eight home runs and 28 RBI’s.
Of the top-four salaries on the Mariners payroll this season (Ichiro, Lee, Bradley, Figgins) one was traded away, Lee, and one more might leave before the season ends, Bradley. The combined salary of those two is $20 million which the Mariners will have to pay for. Another free-agent signing in the off-season was Chone Figgins, who is making $8.5 million this season and is batting just .229, 22 RBI’s, 39 runs with a respectable 24 stolen bases. If the Mariners want to contend with the Rangers and Angels in the AL West it might be best to start investing in prospects rather signing free-agents to big contracts.
Baltimore Orioles
Payroll: $81.7 million (17th highest payroll in MLB)
First half payroll cost per win: $1.5 million
Highest paid player: SP Kevin Milwood at $12 million.
Milwood has been slowed down by an injury to his forearm but with a 2-8 record in 18 starts and a 5.77 ERA with 84 K’s it is hard to say whether it is his injury or being on the Orioles that has led to his bad production.
Player with most bang for the buck: OF Adam Jones at $ 465,000
Jones is batting .273, 14 HR’s, 40 RBI’s with 45 runs and four triples. Jones leads the Orioles in home runs and triples, is second in RBI’s, and third in batting average.
Player with least bang for the buck: OF Garret Atkins at $4 million
Atkins signed with the Orioles in the off-season, had one home run and nine RBI in 140 at-bats and was released on July 6. The Orioles are on the hook for his full contract and although highly unlikely he can sign anywhere he wants.
When looking at the Orioles record each season they are not a team you would think spends big on contracts. The club does like to spend however they have done so on players that are either injured or do not live up to their salary: Atkins ($4 million, 44 games played released), Milwood ($12 million, 18 starts), Julio Lugo ($9.2 million, 66 games), Mike Gonzalez ($6 million, 3 games disabled list) and Brian Roberts ($10 million, 4 games disabled list).
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