Summary

The book Moneyball, is about the art of winning an unfair game. Billy Beane is the protagonist of this story. He is the general manager of the Oakland Athletics; the poorest team in the MLB. The problem that Billy is having after the 2001 season is that the A's are losing their three biggest stars to free agency. Billy has to figure out how to win in the Major Leagues with a budget that's smaller than every other team in the game. To try to solve his problem, Billy must find a championship team that the team can afford. If Billy cannot manage to provide a successful team, he will be fired. This will leave this divorced man with his daughter, who he would like to send to college. To achieve his goal, Billy will have to deviate from the conventional wisdom that scouts have been using to recruit players for over 150 years! This system that Billy is trying to use is called "Moneyball." This system relies on statistics such as slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Billy believes that these statistics will give a better overview of the player, instead of judging players by their athletic abilities. Throughout this book, Billy will be scrutinized for his player acquisitions and system of scouting. Although Billy will be taunted, he stays true to his system "Moneyball."