The Boston Red Sox, in many ways, have become the model franchise in Major League Baseball.
Grantland’s Jonah Keri recently wrote an article about the Red Sox in which he broke down how the organization has put itself into a position to succeed for the foreseeable future. Keri described the Red Sox as winning “with money, and with Moneyball.”
In other words, the Red Sox have tons of cash that they’re willing to spend, yet the club still implements practices typically used by small-market teams looking to gain a competitive edge.
“The Red Sox have begun combining their substantial resources with the obsessive advantage-seeking mind-set of a small-revenue club, and in so doing have set themselves up to vie for championships in 2014 and beyond,” Keri writes. “They’re simultaneously outspending their rivals and deploying Moneyball-esque methods of squeezing the most value from their players, and this hybrid approach is manifesting itself in four main areas.”
Keri lists the main areas of emphasis within Boston’s unique approach as health, platoons, shifts and prospects. The Red Sox, Keri writes, use specialists in dealing with injuries, implement platoons rather than resorting to a set lineup, consistently stress the importance of defense and show faith in their young players.
While Keri acknowledges in his article that the Red Sox’s approach doesn’t guarantee success, it’s hard to argue with Boston’s recent results. The Red Sox are defending Word Series champions and look poised to contend again in 2014.
“What is a sure thing, however, is that even if Boston fails to repeat this year, the franchise is in good hands,” Keri writes. “Instead of settling for a stars-and-scrubs roster, this team is putting thought into every little detail that goes into building a winner. The Red Sox are winning with money, and with Moneyball.”
