Moneyball Page #3

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[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

Yale, economics and baseball.

You're funny, Pete.

[]

DAD:

Tell me, why Billy?

What is it that makes him special?

MAN:

Very rare do you come upon

a young man like Billy

who can run, who can field,

who can throw, who can hit,

and who can hit with power.

Those five tools,

you don't see that very often.

MARTINEZ:

Most of the youngsters

that we have an interest in

have one or two tools,

and we're hoping

to develop an extra one.

Your son has five.

We're looking at a guy

that's a potential superstar

for us in New York.

The time is now

to get him started.

We're prepared to make

a sizable financial commitment.

The Mets are gonna

stand behind Billy

because we expect him

to be our big-league center fielder.

This check here

represents the offer

that the New York Mets

would be making to Billy.

You do know that he's been accepted

to Stanford on a full scholarship?

JONGEWAARD:

I do.

So he can do both?

Unfortunately, he can't do Stanford

and professional baseball.

He would have to pick one

or the other.

If he wants to be center fielder

for the Mets,

wants to be a baseball player,

he really needs to accept this

as life's first occupation, first career.

We're all told at some point we can

no longer play the children's game.

We just don't know

when that's gonna be.

Some of us are told at 18,

some of us are told at 40,

but we're all told.

But this is a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity.

We want you badly,

and we think that this amount

of money expresses that desire.

DAD:
Billy, this is your decision,

and whatever that decision is,

you know it's fine

with your mother and I.

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

PETER:
Hello?

Hey, it's Billy Beane.

Hey, what time is it?

I don't know.

Listen, would you have

drafted me in the first round?

What?

After I left, you looked me up

on your computer.

Would you have drafted me

in the first round?

I did, yeah.

You were a good player.

Cut the crap, man.

Would you have drafted me

in the first round?

I'd have taken you

in the ninth round.

No signing bonus.

I imagine you would've passed

and taken that scholarship.

Yeah.

Pack your bags, Pete.

I just bought you

from the Cleveland Indians.

[SIGHS]

[MEN SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]

MAN 1:
Is it attached to that clamp?

MAN 2:
Yeah, let me unhook it.

MAN 3:

Slide it up right there.

To the left.

MAN 4:
I did.

MAN 5:
Yeah, yeah.

MAN 6:
Hang on, it's wet.

Come on.

[]

Morning, Suzanne. Coffee on?

Yes.

Great.

[PHONE RINGS]

SUZANNE:
Billy Beane's office.

PETER:
Hey.

Peter Brand.

Billy.

How are--? Hi, how you doing?

Nice to see you.

Good to have you here.

Boy, you move in fast.

Yeah, yeah.

I got here early this morning.

Wow. Huh.

All moved in.

Yeah.

PETER:

Yeah.

Hey, Billy,

I wanted you to see

these player evaluations

that you asked me to do.

I asked you to do three.

Yeah.

To evaluate three players.

Yeah.

How many did you do?

Forty-seven.

Okay.

Actually, 51.

I don't know why I lied just then.

Why don't you walk me

through the board?

Thank you.

[]

PETER:

Using this equation

in the upper left,

I'm projecting that we need

to win at least 99 games

in order to make it

to the postseason.

We need to score at least 814 runs

in order to win those games

and allow no more

than 645 runs.

BILLY:

What's this?

PETER:

This is a code that I've written

for our year-to-year projections.

This is building in the intelligence

that we have to project players.

BILLY:

Okay.

PETER:

It's about getting things down

to one number.

Using the stats

the way we read them,

we'll find value in players

that nobody else can see.

People are overlooked

for a variety of biased reasons

and perceived flaws.

Age, appearance, personality.

Bill James and mathematics

cut straight through that.

Billy, of the 20,000 notable players

for us to consider,

I believe that there is

a championship team

of 25 people that we can afford,

because everyone else

in baseball undervalues them.

Like an island of misfit toys.

Billy, this is Chad Bradford.

He's a relief pitcher.

He is one of the most undervalued

players in baseball.

His defect is that he throws funny.

Nobody in the big leagues cares

about him because he looks funny.

This guy could be not just

the best pitcher in our pen,

but one of the most effective

relief pitchers in all baseball.

This guy should cost

$3 million a year.

We can get him for 237,000.

PETER:

Billy.

That it?

Yeah.

[MEN CHATTERING NEARBY]

[FOOTSTEPS]

Hey, Art.

Can I talk to you

before you get started?

I'm a bit busy right now.

I know.

I know.

BILLY:
Okay.

Morning, everyone.

Art.

Peter Brand. Nice to meet you.

Where the hell's Pete?

That's Pete.

Grab a seat.

I'll be right back.

POLONI:
All right,

where did you say he's at?

KEOUGH:

Okay. He's on--

Who's the kid?

A friend of mine.

I can't manage this team

under a one-year contract.

Well, sure you can.

No, I can't.

Okay. I gotta put a team

on the field.

After that, I'll take a good

long look at your contract.

Deal with the manager's contract,

then put a team on the field.

At this moment, if a grounder's hit

to first, nobody's there to stop it.

It's not easy doing what

I do under the cloud of

a one-year contract.

Okay, I understand that.

I've been there.

I know you have.

A one-year contract means

the same thing to a manager

as to a player.

There's not a lot of faith there.

Which is strange

after a 102-win season.

I see.

If you lose the last game

of the season, nobody gives a sh*t.

So it's on me now?

No, Art, it's on me.

And the kid

is the new assistant GM.

Okay.

BILLY:
Okay, fellas.

GRADY:

Hey, Billy.

You can't deny his

offensive output. He can play.

And we need people

that can play.

Who do you wanna

talk about first?

None of them.

Billy, we got 38 home runs,

Guys, you're still trying

to replace Giambi.

I told you we can't do it,

and we can't do it.

Now, what we might be able

to do is re-create him.

Re-create him in the aggregate.

GRADY:
The what?

Giambi's on-base percentage

was .477.

Damon's on-base, .324.

And Olmedo's was .291.

Add that up and you get...

Do you want me to speak?

When I point at you, yeah.

BILLY:
Divided by three.

[SNAPS FINGERS]

.364.

That's what we're looking for.

Three ballplayers--

Three ballplayers

whose average OBP is...

.364.

Wait, that doesn't come out right.

BILLY:
It's right, Artie.

GRADY:
Billy.

You gotta carry the one.

Billy.

Scratch this out.

Yeah?

GRADY:

Who's that?

That's Pete.

GRADY:

Does Pete really need to be here?

Yes, he does.

Okay, here's who we want.

Number one:

Jason's little brother, Jeremy.

KEOUGH:
Oh, God.

Billy, that's trouble.

Billy, look, if I-- Yeah.

Billy, if I may, he's had

his problems off the field,

and we know what he can't do

on the field.

PITTARO:

He's getting thick around the waist.

There's reports about him

on weed, in strip clubs.

His on-base percentage

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