Often times with looking at various teams around baseball and the vast differences in their payrolls it is hard to gauge who is truly risking it all to win. Often times we see a smaller market team make a huge free agent signing and that looks like they are risking everything to win now. Paying big salaries obviously increases the need for the team to win to pay them back to the owners but which teams really are risking it all. I took a look at the revenue numbers on Forbes again and compared them with salary numbers reported on CBS to find the answers.
What I found was actually a bit surprising. I looked at each teams salary and figured that as a percentage of total revenue. The mean for the league was 45.3% of revenue being spent on players salaries. Interestingly the Yankees with their huge payroll only come in slightly above average on there with a 46.8% rate. Being the team in the largest market with the largest fan base does pay dividends. Looking at some of the smaller market teams that are often considered to be paying beyond their markets I found that most fell pretty close to the 45.3% mark. Saint Louis for example came in at 47.9% showing that they really do have a dedicated fan base.
Teams that really surprised me the most came in well below the norm even though every year you hear about their troubles with not being able to afford to bring in any free agent help. San Diego for instance, just traded away Adrian Gonzalez because there was no way they could afford him but last year they only spent 24% on player salaries. Even resigning Gonzalez to the type of deal he will demand would have kept them below league average for risk. Pittsburgh, who have been in the cellar of the National League for nearly 2 decades risked only slightly more on their payroll with 24.1% of revenue being spent.
Now I do realize that there are other factors coming into play, stadium costs, front office salaries, etc., however I find it interesting to see how little these teams are truly risking. Obviously their payrolls could never come close to those of the Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox but perhaps they could spend a bit more to bring in some veteran help to guide their young clubs. Also, San Diego performed quite well last season while risking very little, which serves as evidence that risking money isn't the only way to win. But for the worn down fans of teams like Pittsburgh it might help breathe life into a once great baseball city.
In answer to the question who is risking the most, one team stands well beyond the rest, Detroit. Last season they spend an unbelievable 65.3% of total revenue on their players. To add insult to injury they finished 3rd in the AL Central with a record of 81-81. Risking that kind of money I sure would want a better return than a .500 club who didn't make the playoffs.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Watch Out For The Jays
Winning in the American League is never easy, especially when you are in the AL East with Boston and New York. A few years back Tampa Bay caught everyone by surprise when they took the division. However most still go into every season assuming the top two teams will be the Yankees and Red Sox. History has shown us that tends to be the case and they always have a ton of talent on their respective rosters.
Now I'm not going to say that the Blue Jays are poised to win the division this year but I will say they may come closer than most would think. The Yankees are an extremely dominant line up for sure but the loss of Andy Pettit and not landing Cliff Lee has hurt their rotation outlook. They are relying heavily on Sabathia to lead the way and for Burnett to rebound from last years struggles. Phil Hughes had a very impressive season last year but can he repeat it? He has all of the needed tools but can he continue to adjust to hitter who have seen him 3+ times and are familiar with his pitches.
Boston looks to be the favorite for the division with arguably one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They added more pop to an already powerful lineup by trading for Adrian Gonzalez. That should improve the overall run production but they lost Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez to free agency. Youkilis doesn't have nearly the defensive skill that Beltre did at the hot corner.
The Jays also made some moves this off season. They traded away Shaun Marcum, one of their best pitchers. The also moved Vernon Wells, and his enormous contract. The Wells move takes some power out of the batting order and that could slow them down. Set to replace him Rajai Davis doesn't have nearly the power but he does get on base at a pretty good rate and adds a lot of speed.
Marcum looks to be replaced by hot prospect Kyle Drabek. Drabek made an appearance last season and in 17 innings he looked respectable (ERA 4.76, K/9 6.35).
The Jays won 85 games last year, after trading away the best pitcher they had, Roy Halladay. They benefited in large part from Bautista putting together a remarkable season but all surprise teams will have some unforeseen element. They look to have a pitching staff this year that could contend with any, (Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek, and either Jesse Litch or Marc Rzepcynski). Last year those 6 combined for 655 innings and 554 Ks. Compared to most any team that is impressive it works out about a 7.6 K/9 which only 7 teams finished higher than last year.
If these young pitchers can perform near what they showed last season they could be a great rotation. The best way to beat teams with the power that the Yankees and Red Sox have is to strike them out, just ask the Giants. Last year they rode all the way to the World Series on the backs of young pitchers with high strike out rates. I don't believe that Toronto is set to win the division but if they are close they do have some money available to buy a piece or two late in the season if needed. They are one of only 2 teams in MLB to have a debt/value of 0 according to Forbes. So if this team is close come July watch out for potential surprise moves to push them forward into true contention.
Now I'm not going to say that the Blue Jays are poised to win the division this year but I will say they may come closer than most would think. The Yankees are an extremely dominant line up for sure but the loss of Andy Pettit and not landing Cliff Lee has hurt their rotation outlook. They are relying heavily on Sabathia to lead the way and for Burnett to rebound from last years struggles. Phil Hughes had a very impressive season last year but can he repeat it? He has all of the needed tools but can he continue to adjust to hitter who have seen him 3+ times and are familiar with his pitches.
Boston looks to be the favorite for the division with arguably one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They added more pop to an already powerful lineup by trading for Adrian Gonzalez. That should improve the overall run production but they lost Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez to free agency. Youkilis doesn't have nearly the defensive skill that Beltre did at the hot corner.
The Jays also made some moves this off season. They traded away Shaun Marcum, one of their best pitchers. The also moved Vernon Wells, and his enormous contract. The Wells move takes some power out of the batting order and that could slow them down. Set to replace him Rajai Davis doesn't have nearly the power but he does get on base at a pretty good rate and adds a lot of speed.
Marcum looks to be replaced by hot prospect Kyle Drabek. Drabek made an appearance last season and in 17 innings he looked respectable (ERA 4.76, K/9 6.35).
The Jays won 85 games last year, after trading away the best pitcher they had, Roy Halladay. They benefited in large part from Bautista putting together a remarkable season but all surprise teams will have some unforeseen element. They look to have a pitching staff this year that could contend with any, (Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek, and either Jesse Litch or Marc Rzepcynski). Last year those 6 combined for 655 innings and 554 Ks. Compared to most any team that is impressive it works out about a 7.6 K/9 which only 7 teams finished higher than last year.
If these young pitchers can perform near what they showed last season they could be a great rotation. The best way to beat teams with the power that the Yankees and Red Sox have is to strike them out, just ask the Giants. Last year they rode all the way to the World Series on the backs of young pitchers with high strike out rates. I don't believe that Toronto is set to win the division but if they are close they do have some money available to buy a piece or two late in the season if needed. They are one of only 2 teams in MLB to have a debt/value of 0 according to Forbes. So if this team is close come July watch out for potential surprise moves to push them forward into true contention.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Using the Past to Create a Future
I came across an article on mlb.com the other day that I really enjoyed. It was talking about new Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle and how he is embracing the history of the team to push for the future. In all of professional sports I don't think anyone can name a more beleaguered franchise than the current Pittsburgh Pirates, 18 consecutive losing seasons and last year losing more than 100 games again.
Clint Hurdle, like all team managers, is simply the middle man. His job is to take what the upper management gives him and get the most from the players. Middle management means you have to assume many jobs and many faces. One of the most important is the ability to get your employees to put forth their best effort and to believe they can succeed. Getting that message across can't be more difficult than it is in Pittsburgh right now. He has the daunting task of getting a young group of players to not just believe in themselves and their ability to perform at the major league level but to believe in the team, and the franchise behind them. Hurdle has to make them believe that the franchise will help them to become competitive.
Many of the players on the current roster were not even in grade school the last time the Pirates had a winning season. For them the team has been in the basement their whole lives. By taking the effort to not just learn the impressive history himself but forming a plan to show the players that history, Hurdle hopes to inspire hope and pride into the team. Showing them some of the great moments of the past to show them how great it can be for them and then telling them that he will lead them there. If the message sinks in I still feel the Pirates are a few years away from contention, but they may surprise some people.
Clint Hurdle, like all team managers, is simply the middle man. His job is to take what the upper management gives him and get the most from the players. Middle management means you have to assume many jobs and many faces. One of the most important is the ability to get your employees to put forth their best effort and to believe they can succeed. Getting that message across can't be more difficult than it is in Pittsburgh right now. He has the daunting task of getting a young group of players to not just believe in themselves and their ability to perform at the major league level but to believe in the team, and the franchise behind them. Hurdle has to make them believe that the franchise will help them to become competitive.
Many of the players on the current roster were not even in grade school the last time the Pirates had a winning season. For them the team has been in the basement their whole lives. By taking the effort to not just learn the impressive history himself but forming a plan to show the players that history, Hurdle hopes to inspire hope and pride into the team. Showing them some of the great moments of the past to show them how great it can be for them and then telling them that he will lead them there. If the message sinks in I still feel the Pirates are a few years away from contention, but they may surprise some people.
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