Billy Beane is the general manager of the Oakland A’s, arguably one of the most efficient, if not successful teams in the big leagues. Check out what he has to say about building a playoff team vs. building for the regular season:
“Getting to the play-offs isn’t random: Over 162 games, if you have the right team, the odds work out. But once you get to the postseason, everything becomes random. In a 5-game series, you can flip a coin five times, and you might come up tails five times. In our market and many others, we can’t build a team that’s specifically geared for 162 games and also for a 5-game play-off. That I don’t think we’ll ever overcome.”
Maybe some other GMs should read that…
For more on Beane Ball in Oakland, check out the whole Fast Company article.