The Cubs spent nearly $140 million on player payroll in 2009. How does their roster compare to other big spending teams? Are the Cubs getting value for their $140 million or are they spending freely without building a roster capable of winning a World Series? That’s what I’m looking at in this series of articles. [...]
Category Archives: Stats
What Can You Get For $140 Million?: Shortstop
January 13, 2010 – 6:14 am
I’m happy that the Cubs payroll is among the highest in baseball. The Cubs are a large market team with among the highest revenue streams in all of the sport. Their payroll should be among the highest. The problem is that on the surface, it doesn’t look to me like the Cubs roster stacks up [...]
What Can You Get For $140 Million?: Second Base
January 12, 2010 – 6:03 am
I began this series by explaining what I was trying to accomplish and what methodology I would be using to accomplish it. You can read previous posts from this series by clicking on the links below: What Can You Get For $140 Million? What Can You Get For $140 Million?: First Base Today, I want [...]
What Can You Get For $140 Million?: First Base
January 11, 2010 – 7:09 am
I’m in the process of analyzing the Cubs roster in comparison to the other five biggest spending teams in baseball. To take a look at my methodology, visit my original post. One thing I learned while doing research for this series of posts is that first basemen are expensive. Of the six top spending teams, the [...]
What Can You Get For $140 Million?
January 10, 2010 – 6:11 am
In 2009, the Cubs had the third highest payroll in all of baseball.* Considering that the club is a large market team, and considering the revenue the franchise generates, the Cubs should be near the top of the charts when it comes to their payroll budget.
How Important Is On-Base Percentage?
January 9, 2010 – 7:35 am
Joe Posnanski is probably my favorite sportswriter. He has a unique combination of excellent writing skills, an analytical mind, and a very good sense of humor. When it comes to baseball, he also has an excellent grasp of statistical data.
Thinking Out Of The Box (Part 2)
October 12, 2009 – 6:48 am
This is the second installment of my “Thinking Out of the Box” series. You can find the first installment here. Previously, we looked at the reasons that small market/low-revenue teams might want to consider doing things differently than their competitors. Today, I want to focus on what types of things they might consider.
Thinking Out Of The Box (Part 1)
October 11, 2009 – 8:40 am
I know a little bit about cattle ranching (a very little bit). I know a little more about cattle ranchers. Cattle ranchers are among the most self-conscious individuals on the planet. You wouldn’t think so. After all, our perception of ranchers is that they are rugged individualists, beating their own path through life. The truth [...]
Redefining Production (Part 2)
October 2, 2009 – 9:43 am
In yesterday’s post, we looked at a stat we are calling “production” which was proposed by uber-sportswriter, Joe Posnanski. Posnanski proposed the stat, but it was originally created by baseball researcher Tom Tango. To recap, “production” assigns a point value to a players hits, walks, stolen bases, etc. Using “production” (which I will refer to as PRO from now [...]
Redefining Production (Part 1)
October 1, 2009 – 8:23 am
The Cubs lost both ends of a doubleheader yesterday to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. My first reaction was to get upset, but does it really matter? The Cubs have been eliminated from playoff contention, so the games really don’t matter. Plus, it’s an opportunity to play some people who haven’t played much and try some [...]
