Moneyball Q & A

Why is the pitcher, Chad Bradford, undervalued by other teams?

He throws funny.

The manager (Art Howe) plays Pena instead of Hatteberg at 1st base despite Billy wanting Hatteberg to play 1st, how does Billy solve this problem?

He trades Pena to Detroit tigers

Why was Billy not able to be successful in the Major Leagues despite having all the tools to be a star?

Lacked confidence and the ability to deal with failure.

Where did Peter Brand go to school and what did he study?

Yale. Economics.

Despite Scott Hatteberg having irreparable nerve damage in his elbow, why does Billy want him on the team?

He gets on base a lot

Why does Billy want Scott Hatteberg to play 1st base instead of Carlos Pena?

He gets on base more than Carlos

The Oakland A's hold the record for the longest win streak in American League history, how long was their win streak?

20 straight wins

Who invented the idea of "Moneyball"? What was his job at the time?

Bill Jane - night watch in a factory

When Billy was in high school and being scouted for baseball, why did the scouts think that Billy would be picked in the first round?

Billy was a '5 tool guy'. He could run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power.

What is the problem that Billy Beane and his scouts had to solve?

Building a team on a limited budget that can compete against teams with a lot of money

How does Billy plan to replace players like Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Olmedo Saenz?

By recreating them in the aggregated. Finding three ball players whose combined OBP matches the total.

What team did Billy buy Peter from?

Cleveland Indians

Peter believes that out of the 20,000 players, there are 25 they could afford. Why does he believe this?

Everyone else undervalues them.

When Billy goes to visit Scott Hatteberg, what position does he want him to play?

First Base

What are the names of the three replacement players that Billy is interested in?

Jeremy Giombi, David Justice, Scott Hatteberg

Name the three players that the Oakland Athletics are about to lose to free agency.

Johnny Damon Jason Giambi Jason Isringhausen

With regard to the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, how much money does each organization have?

Oakland Athletics: $39,722,689 New York Yankees: $114,457,768

What team offers Billy a general manager position? How much was the offer?

Red Sox - $12.5 million

Did Billy take the offer from the Boston Red Sox?

Resigned after 12 hours on the job

Why does Billy have Pete travel with the team instead of himself?

So he can text him play by play

What do all these replacement players have in common?

They call all on base, high OBP

When Pete is explaining his code to Billy, he says that it all comes down to one number. What is that number used for?

To find the value in players that nobody else can see.