Billy Beane
Encyclopedia
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball
player and the current general manager
and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics
. He is the subject of Michael Lewis
' 2003 book on baseball economics, Moneyball, which was also made into a 2011 film
starring Brad Pitt
as Beane.
, the child of a career military family. His father, a naval officer, taught him how to pitch. He attended Mt. Carmel High School
, where he excelled at baseball, football, and basketball, but gave up football to avoid an injury that could prematurely end his baseball career. Despite this, Stanford University
tried to recruit Beane on a joint baseball-football scholarship as the quarterback who would replace then-sophomore John Elway
for the Stanford Cardinal football
team.
by the New York Mets
, who were enamored of Beane's talent and had three other first round picks, allowing them to risk Beane's not signing. Beane decided to sign for $125,000 after a trip to visit the Mets clubhouse. Beane notes his decision to sign with the Mets instead of going to Stanford as the "only decision he would ever make in his life about money."
Believing Beane to be a more refined player than their top first-round pick, Darryl Strawberry
, the Mets assigned Strawberry to play rookie ball, while Beane was assigned to the Class-A Little Falls Mets
. Beane struggled and was unable to make the adjustments that were necessary when playing tougher competition.
Beane played parts of six seasons as a reserve outfielder
in the major leagues, with the Mets, the Minnesota Twins
, the Detroit Tigers
, and the Athletics, from to . He played for two teams that would win the World Series
: the Twins in 1987
, and the Athletics in 1989
. He was not on either team's post-season roster. Beane completed his 148-game major league career with a .219 batting average
and 3 home run
s.
Sandy Alderson
during spring training and asked for a job as an advance scout. Beane held this position through 1993, becoming Assistant GM of the Athletics in 1994.
In 1995, team owner Walter A. Haas, Jr.
died. New owners Stephen Schott
and Ken Hofmann
ordered Alderson to slash payroll. As a result, Alderson began focusing on sabermetric
principles toward obtaining relatively undervalued players.
Beane succeeded Alderson as GM on October 17, 1997. He continued Alderson's crafting of the Athletics into one of the most cost-effective teams in baseball. For example, in the 2006 MLB season
, the Athletics ranked 24th of 30 major league teams in player salaries but had the 5th-best regular-season record.
Due to his team's success despite its low payroll, Beane was the subject of author Michael Lewis
's 2003 best-selling book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. The book discusses Beane's methods as the GM of the Athletics and how he used sabermetric
principles to run his team in a cost-effective way. According to the book, this allowed him to be successful despite his financial constraints. The book and Beane's methods have influenced the way many think about the game of baseball, including other teams and even players.
Despite their regular season success, the Athletics have struggled with winning in the playoffs under Beane. The Athletics reached the playoffs in four consecutive years from 1999
through 2003
, losing in the American League Division Series
each year. They won their first playoff series under Beane in 2006 when they swept the Minnesota Twins
in the American League Division Series
, but were subsequently swept by the Detroit Tigers
in the American League Championship Series
. Other low payroll teams, such as the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins
and the 2008 American League champion Tampa Bay Rays
, have appeared in the World Series.
After the 2002 season, the Boston Red Sox
attempted to woo Beane with an offer to be their GM, but he declined. On April 15, 2005, Beane received a contract extension to remain with the team as its general manager through 2012, and new team owner Lewis Wolff
awarded Beane a small portion of the team's ownership.
The Athletics have not made the playoffs or finished above .500 since their 2006 playoff appearance, which has triggered criticism of Beane and his approach in some quarters in baseball, especially in 2009
. One possible explanation for his recent lack of success is that other general managers have followed his lead and are now using the same approach he does. Beane largely dismisses criticism of his approach, saying about his philosophy:
Illustrating this example, Beane began concentrating on high-school players (a group he once largely ignored) in the MLB draft, considering them to be heavily undervalued. He and other like-minded GMs also changed their draft strategies to focus more on defensive skills, which had become undervalued in the years immediately after the Moneyball revolution. This new emphasis on defense was displayed in 2010
; although the Athletics finished at .500 and again missed the playoffs, they led MLB in defensive efficiency (percentage of balls put into play by opponents that resulted in outs) and allowed the fewest runs in the AL.
during the baseball offseasons of his playing career.
On January 4, 2007, the software company NetSuite
named Beane to its board of directors. NetSuite
co-founder Evan Goldberg cited Beane's ability to combine facts with instinct as an important factor in the decision to involve him in the company. Beane also served as a consultant for, and also appears in, the video game MLB Front Office Manager
.
When the A's ownership group agreed to purchase the reincarnation of the San Jose Earthquakes
of Major League Soccer
, Beane, who is an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspur
of the English
Premier League, began developing a system for objectively analyzing soccer players. He has agreed to help the Earthquakes front office develop a method for building a cost-effective team, as the salary cap in MLS is even more restrictive than the A's small-market status in Major League Baseball.
Beane has been married twice; he has a daughter from his first marriage and twins from his current marriage. He was portrayed by Brad Pitt
in the 2011 film Moneyball
, based on the book of the same name.
named Beane as number 10 on its list of the Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade in all sports.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and the current general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. He is the subject of Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis may refer to:*Michael Lewis , American non-fiction author and financial journalist*Michael Lewis , Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf*Michael Lewis , Belizean racing cyclist...
' 2003 book on baseball economics, Moneyball, which was also made into a 2011 film
Moneyball (film)
Moneyball is a 2011 biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on Michael Lewis' 2003 book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to...
starring Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
as Beane.
Early life
Beane grew up in San Diego, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the child of a career military family. His father, a naval officer, taught him how to pitch. He attended Mt. Carmel High School
Mount Carmel High School (San Diego, California)
Mt. Carmel High School , a California Distinguished High School in 2005, is located in Rancho Peñasquitos, a community of San Diego, California, United States. The school belongs to the Poway Unified School District and its mascot is the Sundevil. The current principal is Dawn Kastner. She was...
, where he excelled at baseball, football, and basketball, but gave up football to avoid an injury that could prematurely end his baseball career. Despite this, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
tried to recruit Beane on a joint baseball-football scholarship as the quarterback who would replace then-sophomore John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
for the Stanford Cardinal football
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
team.
Playing career
As many teams believed Beane would attend Stanford and not sign with a professional team, Beane fell to the 23rd overall pick in the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft1980 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.- Compensation Picks :*William Erickson, was drafted in the second round by the San Francisco Giants, 31st pick overall. *Jeff Horne was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Pirates,...
by the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, who were enamored of Beane's talent and had three other first round picks, allowing them to risk Beane's not signing. Beane decided to sign for $125,000 after a trip to visit the Mets clubhouse. Beane notes his decision to sign with the Mets instead of going to Stanford as the "only decision he would ever make in his life about money."
Believing Beane to be a more refined player than their top first-round pick, Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who is well-known both for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it...
, the Mets assigned Strawberry to play rookie ball, while Beane was assigned to the Class-A Little Falls Mets
Little Falls Mets
The Little Falls Mets were a minor league baseball team located in Little Falls, New York. The team played in the New York - Penn League, and were affiliated with the New York Mets. Their home stadium was Little Falls Veterans Memorial Park...
. Beane struggled and was unable to make the adjustments that were necessary when playing tougher competition.
Beane played parts of six seasons as a reserve outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in the major leagues, with the Mets, the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, and the Athletics, from to . He played for two teams that would win the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
: the Twins in 1987
1987 World Series
The 1987 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Minnesota was victorious in a World Series that was the first in which the home team won every game...
, and the Athletics in 1989
1989 World Series
†: Game 3 was originally slated for October 17 at 5:35 pm; however, it was postponed when an earthquake occurred at 5:04 pm.-Game 1:Saturday, October 14, 1989 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California...
. He was not on either team's post-season roster. Beane completed his 148-game major league career with a .219 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and 3 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s.
Front office career
Struggling to make the big league roster in 1990, Beane approached Athletics General ManagerGeneral manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
Sandy Alderson
Sandy Alderson
Richard Lynn "Sandy" Alderson is the general manager of the New York Mets. He previously served as an executive with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and the commissioner's office of Major League Baseball....
during spring training and asked for a job as an advance scout. Beane held this position through 1993, becoming Assistant GM of the Athletics in 1994.
In 1995, team owner Walter A. Haas, Jr.
Walter A. Haas, Jr.
Walter A. Haas, Jr. was a president and CEO and chairman of Levi Strauss & Co, succeeding his father Walter A. Haas. He led the company in its growth from a regional manufacturer and wholesaler of work clothes to one of the world’s leading apparel companies...
died. New owners Stephen Schott
Stephen Schott
Stephen Schott is a real estate developer and businessman from California, best known for his ten-year co-ownership of the Oakland Athletics.-Early life and career:...
and Ken Hofmann
Ken Hofmann
Kenneth Harry Hofmann is a builder, real estate developer and philanthropist who is best known for being the former owner of both the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Athletics....
ordered Alderson to slash payroll. As a result, Alderson began focusing on sabermetric
Sabermetrics
Sabermetrics is the specialized analysis of baseball through objective, empirical evidence, specifically baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. The term is derived from the acronym SABR, which stands for the Society for American Baseball Research...
principles toward obtaining relatively undervalued players.
Beane succeeded Alderson as GM on October 17, 1997. He continued Alderson's crafting of the Athletics into one of the most cost-effective teams in baseball. For example, in the 2006 MLB season
2006 Major League Baseball season
In , the Major League Baseball season ended with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series with the lowest regular season victory total in history. The American League continued its domination at the All-Star Game by winning its fourth straight game; the A.L. has won nine...
, the Athletics ranked 24th of 30 major league teams in player salaries but had the 5th-best regular-season record.
Due to his team's success despite its low payroll, Beane was the subject of author Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis (author)
Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...
's 2003 best-selling book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. The book discusses Beane's methods as the GM of the Athletics and how he used sabermetric
Sabermetrics
Sabermetrics is the specialized analysis of baseball through objective, empirical evidence, specifically baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. The term is derived from the acronym SABR, which stands for the Society for American Baseball Research...
principles to run his team in a cost-effective way. According to the book, this allowed him to be successful despite his financial constraints. The book and Beane's methods have influenced the way many think about the game of baseball, including other teams and even players.
Despite their regular season success, the Athletics have struggled with winning in the playoffs under Beane. The Athletics reached the playoffs in four consecutive years from 1999
1999 Major League Baseball season
The previous record of most home runs hit in a season, set at 5,064 in 1998, was broken once again as the American League and National League combined to hit 5,528 home runs. Moreover, it was the first season in 61 years to feature a team that scored 1,000 runs in a season, as the Cleveland Indians...
through 2003
2003 Major League Baseball season
*World Series MVP: Josh Beckett**American League Championship Series MVP: Mariano Rivera**National League Championship Series MVP: Iván Rodríguez*All-Star Game, July 15 at U.S...
, losing in the American League Division Series
American League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series...
each year. They won their first playoff series under Beane in 2006 when they swept the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in the American League Division Series
2006 American League Division Series
-Game 1, October 3:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkA five-run third inning by the Yankees put the game out of reach for the Tigers. Bobby Abreu doubled to score Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter . Gary Sheffield then singled in Abreu, and Jason Giambi launched a two-run home run for a commanding 5–0...
, but were subsequently swept by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in the American League Championship Series
2006 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while Detroit turned four double plays...
. Other low payroll teams, such as the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins
2003 Florida Marlins season
The 2003 Florida Marlins season was a season in American baseball. The Marlins were the National League Wild Card Winners, the National League Champions, and the World Series Champions.-Offseason:...
and the 2008 American League champion Tampa Bay Rays
2008 Tampa Bay Rays season
The Tampa Bay Rays' 2008 season, the 11th season in franchise history, marked the change of the team's name from the "Tampa Bay Devil Rays" to the "Tampa Bay Rays", as revealed on November 8, 2007. The change in name also came with a change in logo and uniforms, with new team colors of Columbia...
, have appeared in the World Series.
After the 2002 season, the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
attempted to woo Beane with an offer to be their GM, but he declined. On April 15, 2005, Beane received a contract extension to remain with the team as its general manager through 2012, and new team owner Lewis Wolff
Lewis Wolff
Lewis N. Wolff is an American real estate developer. Wolff is also known for owning sports franchises; he is currently the co-owner of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball and the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer...
awarded Beane a small portion of the team's ownership.
The Athletics have not made the playoffs or finished above .500 since their 2006 playoff appearance, which has triggered criticism of Beane and his approach in some quarters in baseball, especially in 2009
2009 Major League Baseball season
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday, April 5, 2009 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1. The regular season ended on October 6, extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to...
. One possible explanation for his recent lack of success is that other general managers have followed his lead and are now using the same approach he does. Beane largely dismisses criticism of his approach, saying about his philosophy:
Illustrating this example, Beane began concentrating on high-school players (a group he once largely ignored) in the MLB draft, considering them to be heavily undervalued. He and other like-minded GMs also changed their draft strategies to focus more on defensive skills, which had become undervalued in the years immediately after the Moneyball revolution. This new emphasis on defense was displayed in 2010
2010 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics' 2010 season was the 43rd for the franchise in the Bay Area, as well as the 110th in club history. The team snapped a streak of 3 consecutive losing seasons with an 81–81 record. Despite this, the A's missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. The team fielded a...
; although the Athletics finished at .500 and again missed the playoffs, they led MLB in defensive efficiency (percentage of balls put into play by opponents that resulted in outs) and allowed the fewest runs in the AL.
Activities outside baseball
Beane attended the University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
during the baseball offseasons of his playing career.
On January 4, 2007, the software company NetSuite
NetSuite
NetSuite Inc. is the leading vendor of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service integrated business management software for mid-market enterprises and divisions of large companies, with over 10,000 organizations and a +$225 billion market cap...
named Beane to its board of directors. NetSuite
NetSuite
NetSuite Inc. is the leading vendor of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service integrated business management software for mid-market enterprises and divisions of large companies, with over 10,000 organizations and a +$225 billion market cap...
co-founder Evan Goldberg cited Beane's ability to combine facts with instinct as an important factor in the decision to involve him in the company. Beane also served as a consultant for, and also appears in, the video game MLB Front Office Manager
MLB Front Office Manager
MLB Front Office Manager is a Major League Baseball-licensed sports management game developed by Blue Castle Games and published by 2K Sports for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3...
.
When the A's ownership group agreed to purchase the reincarnation of the San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, Beane, who is an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Premier League, began developing a system for objectively analyzing soccer players. He has agreed to help the Earthquakes front office develop a method for building a cost-effective team, as the salary cap in MLS is even more restrictive than the A's small-market status in Major League Baseball.
Beane has been married twice; he has a daughter from his first marriage and twins from his current marriage. He was portrayed by Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
in the 2011 film Moneyball
Moneyball (film)
Moneyball is a 2011 biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on Michael Lewis' 2003 book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to...
, based on the book of the same name.
Awards and honors
In December 2009, Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
named Beane as number 10 on its list of the Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade in all sports.