The 2019 Major League Baseball postseason will highlight two teams entrenched at the bottom of the yearly payroll rankings. Resources for the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays tend to be scarce in comparison to the juggernauts that perch at the top of the payroll rankings. Baseball does not have a set salary cap, meaning there is no evening the playing field on the diamond. With the odds stacked against them, the A’s and Rays are playoff bound. The Athletics doing so at a cost of $957,675.57 per win and the Rays more impressive at a cost of $657,778.18 per win. To put this into perspective, the Yankees won 103 games at a cost of over $2,000,000 per win. How were these teams able to dominate on the field with much less at their disposal?
*MLB Rankings
OPS+ – on base percentage + slugging percentage
A’s 6th
Rays 9th
ERA+ – a player’s ERA normalized across the league. It accounts for external factors like ballparks and opponents
Rays 1st
A’s 11th
WHIP
Rays 3rd
As 5th
BB/9
Rays 2nd
A’s 7th
HR/9
Rays 1st
A’s 4th
The above statistics stand out in analyzing the data for both teams. These two organizations have figured out key metrics to maximize their limited resources. They not only are honing in what statistics are most important but also how to find players with unique abilities to piece the puzzle. Homeruns and free passes are a common theme of success. Both teams excel at limiting free passes, and the long ball, while thriving on the long ball and a patient approach for run production. The A’s stood out more on the offensive side while the Rays shined in the categories of run prevention. Overall, both teams were similar and consistent in their approach on the way to a successful 2019 regular season. There is clearly a formula for success in baseball no matter the market size. Both organizations are well-known in the industry for their advanced scouting and analytical thinking. Their limited resources and free agent signings leave them no choice but to find advantages and value in every way possible. The Rays and A’s pride themselves at developing players from within. Their ability to maximize value and find the right mix of players is unparalleled at the moment and trying to be mimicked throughout the industry. The Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Astros, and Cubs come to mind as teams in the upper-echelon of budgeting who have approached advanced stats, analytics and scouting with a similar approach. Due to this, the trek to a pennant will be difficult for the small-market duo but, there is reason for hope. Magic resides in both cities and either team could win the American League behind a top-to-bottom complete baseball teams.
The question is not what they accomplished, but the route they took in building a team to get there. Both teams are out ahead in the realm of advanced statistics, sabermetrics, and new-age baseball. They are not revolutionary by any means as every team is littered with advanced statistic gurus and computing machines. What they done is followed a plan and developed a plethora of young talent to execute this on the baseball field. The White Sox are the next team in line to capitalize on this strategy. They will feature a dangerous young roster highlighted by Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, and Andrew Vaughn.