Just read the article that Jordan McNulty suggested [The Real Most Valuable Players]. Hat tip, sir!. Some comments:
I have long been a big advocate of selling a player to a team for more than just the stats in the box scores. That may be hard to do right out of highschool/college, however, as players begin to expose their personalities, their characteristics can be selling points to a team. Even a player’s studly appearance may bring increased fans to the stadium (see: Grady Sizemore).
Not every owner plays “bottom-line ball,” though. In fact, many of these wealthy owners invest in teams for the pleasure of just owning a team that they can be a part of. Negotiating with such owners about “player value” may not be as effective as negotiating that way with a true business man looking to get the most bang for his/her buck. What is evident from reading the Wall Street Journal article, is that if you are negotiating a deal with the Cleveland Indians, you can expect their management to not overpay for any of their players. Their methodology may be in question (using WARP statistics), but they will stick to their guns.
I think that the article makes a mistake in basing a player’s value as solely on his ability to produce wins (which again is based on a skeptical WARP formula)…with exception to the end note of looking for “marquee players.” My example of Grady Sizemore should be looked at. Whether or not Sizemore is “creating wins,” women will continue to love him and watch his games.
Anyway, it is a good read, and I encourage readers of this blog to continue to contribute good related articles that are hosted on other sites!
-Darren HeitnerÂ
