Moneyball Summary and Study Guide

In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the Tampa Bay Rays were considered masters of Moneyball, reaching the 2020 World Series with a payroll prorated at $28.2 million, the third-lowest of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. In its wake, teams such as the New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, and Toronto Blue Jays have hired full-time sabermetric analysts. Bonderman had all of the traditional “tools” that scouts look for, but thousands of such players have been signed by MLB organizations out of high school over the years and failed to develop as anticipated. College players have played more games and thus there is a larger mass of statistical data on which to base expensive decisions. Lewis explored several themes in the book, such as insiders vs. outsiders (established traditionalists vs. upstart proponents of sabermetrics), the democratization of information causing a flattening of hierarchies, and “the ruthless drive for efficiency that capitalism demands”. By re-evaluating their strategy in this way, the 2002 Athletics, with a budget of $44 million for player salaries, were competitive with larger-market teams such as the New York Yankees, whose payroll exceeded $125 million that season.

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

In the next chapter, he narrates a game in September 2002, in which the team is attempting to win their 20th consecutive game, which would be a major league record. “…Just a great story about how The Oakland A’s with a tiny budget was able to consistently outperform teams with tons more money to spend on players…” Read more “…is baseball, this book and this story are a great read and a great lesson.” Read more

Lewis discusses Bill James and his annual stats newsletter, Baseball Abstract, along with other mathematical analysis of the game. He captures this against-all-odds underdog story with wit and sharp clarity. With the second-lowest payroll in baseball at his disposal he had to? And then came Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics. Readers also mention that Michael Lewis did a good job balancing the main storyline with flashbacks that described us. They say the author has a way to tell the story that makes every subject interesting.

Sabermetricians argue that a college baseball player’s moneyball the art of winning an unfair game chance of MLB success is much higher than the more traditional high school draft pick. Beane knows which players are likely to be traded by other teams, and he manages to involve himself even when the trade is unconnected to the A’s. Lewis (Liar’s Poker; The New New Thing) examines how in 2002 the Oakland Athletics achieved a spectacular winning record while having the smallest player payroll of any major league baseball team. Moneyball follows the fortunes of charismatic A’s executive Billy Beane, whose number-crunching approach changed the face of baseball, emphasizing team dynamics over superstar salaries.

Keyboard shortcuts

Lewis has acknowledged that the book’s success may have hurt the Athletics’ fortunes as other teams accepted sabermetrics, reducing Oakland’s edge. Given the heavily publicized salaries of players for teams like the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees, baseball insiders and fans assume that the biggest talents deserve and get the biggest salaries. How did one of the poorest teams in baseball win so many games?

David Haglund of Slate and Jonah Keri of Grantland criticized the book for glossing over key young talent acquired through the draft and signed internationally. The mathematical model turned out to be that of Cambridge physicist Ian Graham, which was used to select the manager (Jürgen Klopp) and players essential for Liverpool to win the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. Moneyball has also influenced and been influenced by other professional sports teams including European club association football (soccer).

The author explains why this success has been so unlikely given the small budget the team has to work with compared to other teams like the New York Yankees. The next chapter presents an overview of the A’s success in the several years since Beane became general manager. The basic tension between the approach of the old-school baseball scouts and Beane’s method is introduced. The next chapter jumps to 2002, when Beane is the general manager of the Oakland A’s the summer before the draft.

Customers say

To conduct an astonishing experiment in finding and fielding a team that nobody else wanted.In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis shows us how and why the new baseball knowledge works. In a quest to discover the answer, Michael Lewis delivers not only “the single most influential baseball book ever” (Rob Neyer, Slate) but also what “may be the best book ever written on business” (Weekly Standard). “Fascinating story about the development of a statistical system for choosing professional baseball athletes from a large pool of talented wannabes…” Read more “I was looking for more analytical content and ideas. The book is a good read as to behind the scenes of things fans don’t normal get to see.” Read more Customers find the content fantastic, saying it’s a great book for anyone who has some sort of interest in baseball.

Lewis describes his background and his unlikely ascent in the major leagues, explaining why he fit in perfectly with the A’s unorthodox approach. Beane works the phones constantly right up until the deadline, fishing out information from other general managers, planting rumors—anything he can do to get the players he wants. As Lewis notes, the A’s were often a different team after the mid-season trading deadline because of all the different players that had joined. Lewis explains their approach and why Beane and his assistant like the players they have chosen. Customers find the book worth the price, with one mentioning it combines value investing with baseball insights.

About the Author

“This delightfully written, lesson-laden book deserves a place of its own in the Baseball Hall of Fame.” ―Forbes Actor Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, while Jonah Hill plays fictional character Peter Brand, based on Paul DePodesta; Philip Seymour Hoffman plays A’s manager Art Howe. Beane has regarded Arsenal F.C.’s former manager Arsène Wenger as a personal idol. Under Alderson’s tenure, the team payroll dropped below $100 million per year from 2012 to 2014, and the Mets reached the 2015 World Series—en route defeating MLB’s highest-payroll team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. P. Ricciardi to the front office, the team was jokingly referred to as the “Moneyball Mets”.

Customer Reviews

The first few chapters alternate between Billy Beane’s story as a young player in the 1980s and the year 2002, when most of the book takes place. This background prepared him for Moneyball, a book about how statistics is applied to baseball in a method known as sabermetrics. “Many baseball books seem to be fiction. This one is worth the read.” Read more “This is a good book! I greatly enjoyed it! Fast shipping, good price, great product! It is a must read for all baseball fans.” Read more

More Books Like This

We meet Jeremy Brown, an overweight college catcher who most teams project to be a 15th round draft pick (Beane takes him in the first). In the June player draft, Beane acquired nearly every prospect he coveted (few of whom were coveted by other teams) and at the July trading deadline he engaged in a tense battle of nerves to acquire a lefty reliever. In the Epilogue, Lewis describes catcher Jeremy Brown’s success with the A’s and how he perfectly embodies their approach to the game. The next chapter shows Billy Beane’s approach to trades, which he used effectively to position his team better for the second half of the season.

Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required. The final chapter details how the A’s lost to the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the playoffs despite having the better record and better team overall. He writes how they expect their rational approach through sabermetrics to play out methodically.

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. “Michael Lewis is a great author, and this book is another solid piece by him….” Read more “…The story is interesting and well written and kept me continuously glued to the pages which is probably why Brad Pitt and Hollywood made the movie….” Read more “…Despite some places being fairly dry, overall its a compelling story. Interesting to note that the A’s again made the post-season this year….” Read more “…Truly inspirational and educational as it dares you to look at things with a different approach than the norm.” Read more “A great account of exploiting market inefficiencies for gain. Very inspiring and engaging, even for someone like me who is not a baseball fan.” Read more

• Readers also mention that Michael Lewis did a good job balancing the main storyline with flashbacks that described us.
• “…Truly inspirational and educational as it dares you to look at things with a different approach than the norm.” Read more
• It describes the team’s sabermetric approach to assembling a competitive baseball team on a small budget.
• In the next chapter, he narrates a game in September 2002, in which the team is attempting to win their 20th consecutive game, which would be a major league record.

A book that’s obsessed with baseball stats might not sound particularly gripping, even if you spend a lot of time watching MLB games. “…I really enjoyed this book. It’s just a great read. A great story.” Read more “great book with a lot of fascinating insight into the world of professional baseball and how Sabermetrics has changed the game.” Read more

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW

Lewis was in the room with the A’s top management as they spent the summer of 2002 adding and subtracting players and he provides outstanding play-by-play. This is because Beane’s method doesn’t work in playoff series, when so few games are played. The last part of the book reveals the second half of the 2002 season. Chapter 8 details how he changed from a catcher to a first-baseman when he joined the team. One of those players is Scott Hatteberg, who Beane acquired for his hitting. Chapter 5 returns to 2002, covering Oakland’s picks when the draft gets underway.

• Baseball traditionalists, in particular some scouts and media members, decry the sabermetric revolution and have disparaged Moneyball for emphasizing sabermetrics over more traditional methods of player evaluation.
• “The book is an easy and very interesting read. Michael Lewis is a great writer….” Read more
• “You will need an understanding of Baseball but very interesting read about how MLB works and different approaches to decision making” Read more
• How did one of the poorest teams in baseball win so many games?

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining, particularly for baseball fans, with one customer noting it’s fun to read about sabermetrics. Since the book’s publication and success, Lewis has discussed plans for a sequel to Moneyball called Underdogs, revisiting the players and their relative success several years into their careers, although only four players from the 2002 draft played much at the Major League level. “Moneyball” has entered baseball’s lexicon; teams that value sabermetrics are often said to be playing Moneyball.

“…This is the best so far. Informative and funny, easy to read, and enjoyable. Oh I’ve seen the movie, Well you still have to read this book….” Read more “You will need an understanding of Baseball but very interesting read about how MLB works and different approaches to decision making” Read more “…Not very pretty but very interesting. This book is a wonderful read both the 1st and the second time around.” Read more