Billy Beane

I wouldn't call Billy Beane a genius. I give him credit for pioneering in the recruiting process: using statistics rather than qualitative measures of a player to determine his worth. But at the same time a player's value cannot be determined solely by his past performances, at least not until he is retired. A player's potential means something. That 'dream-on' quality is worth something. It makes sense given the A's limited finances that he looks for cheap players with solid stats because that minimizes his risk. When he cannot afford superstars and potential superstars it makes sense to be risk-averse and try to put together a solid line-up, rather than a potentially outstanding one. I think Billy Beane has created a workable system given the circumstances, but I wouldn't call him a genius.