Every year baseball fans and analysts ask what it takes for a team to reach the playoffs or win a championship. Some teams spend large sums on star players and still fall short — the New York Mets are one example — while clubs such as the Cleveland Guardians operate with a smaller payroll and focus on developing prospects.
Mark Williams, a master lecturer of finance at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, approached the question like a business problem: compare pay to return. He worked with graduate students Ethan Davis and Dan Shin and BU alum Brandon Cohen to build MLB Toolbox, a data platform that analyzes years of regular-season data.
The project ranks teams by spending efficiency, total wins, and wins above replacement (WAR), a metric that estimates a player’s overall value. The analysis also shows that the Red Sox are not topping the standings. The website lets users compare teams and players, examine contract value, and build sample rosters under payroll limits to see how spending choices might change results.
Difficult words
- playoff — a series of games to decide a championplayoffs
- payroll — the total money a team pays players
- prospect — a young player with chance to improveprospects
- analyze — to study information to find patternsanalyzes
- metric — a standard measurement used to judge performance
- wins above replacement — a number estimating a player's total value
- roster — the list of players on a teamrosters
- contract — a written agreement about pay and work
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think a team should spend more on star players or develop prospects? Why?
- How could comparing pay to return help a team make better choices?
- Would you use a website that builds sample rosters under payroll limits? Why or why not?
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