Jon Heyman Doesn't Get It

Jon Heyman, Self-Proclaimed Baseball Insider, unleashed this unmercifully ignorant Tweet tonight:

the #moneyball a's lead AL w/ 14 steals & are second worst in obp at .277 (to seattle, thanks to humber's perfecto)

For (what seems like) the one-billionth time: Moneyball is not about on-base percentage.

Not. About. On-base percentage.

Moneyball is about exploiting market inefficiencies. At the time--a good ten years ago, mind you--on-base percentage happened to be an inefficiency that the A's pursued. At the expense of things like speed and defense, which some felt were overvalued (as seen in the Johnny Damon contract, among others).

Believe it or not, Jon: the market has changed since 2002.

On-base percentage is definitely fairly valued now. Players like Adam Dunn have finally been recognized, and paid, for the value they provide (though a bit too late in Dunn's case).

Accordingly, the A's have actually swung in the opposite direction, towards speed and defense, sometimes even at the expense of OBP (as seen in their second-to-last ranking in that category). Heck, last offseason they tried to throw money at Adrian Beltre, an accomplished OBP hole but an elite defender at third. The Rays made the same philosophical transition a few years back--they consistently save the most defensive runs in the majors each year, and look how they're doing. 

Also, Jon, if you would take a moment to examine Oakland's roster, you'd quickly realize what the A's are aiming for. Their starting lineup features players like: Kurt Suzuki, Daric Barton, Cliff Pennington, Jemile "Brother of Rickie" Weeks, Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, etc. All of those players are either good defenders and/or fast. Most all are ridiculously cheap, and are all the A's can afford right now. None are OBP specialists.

It is quite incorrect to imply that A) the A's worship at the feet of the All-Powerful OBP Deity and B) that Moneyball is equivalent to OBP in any way.

It's even more incorrect to Tweet about it snidely.