NakamuraWho is the Biggest Game Changer in Baseball?
All fans love watching game changers. Impact players mean everything. Roy Halladay, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, and many more make their case for this title. I'm talking about the all-stars that opponents develop specific strategies for. Players who make their opponents scratch their head and spend hours trying to find a way past them. The players that change the game single-handedly.
But what about the people behind the action? The Managers? Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Lou Pinella change the game themselves as well. But if you go further back, you get the front office. Billy Beane, Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman all have structured ways to give their team the best opportunity to win. But the question still remains. Which person in all of major league baseball changes the game the most? Catchers run the pitching staff, shortstops patrols the infield and the center fielder has the right to call every one else off. Managers decide who plays and the front office supplies those people.
But there is one man above all, but this man is no player. This man is a GM's worst enemy. His name is Scott Boras. It's a name that only fans who follow the game closely know. The name is not nearly as popular as Matsuzaka's, Teixeira's, or even Strasburg's. Yet, those three are all his clients.
Scott Boras is an agent for over 90 baseball players and for good reason. Stephen Strasburg, the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, recently set a record for highest signing bonus after the draft. The Washington Nationals offered a record setting 12 million dollars as the bonus, which Boras declined. Strasburg ended up getting 15 million.
Boras forced the Boston Red Sox into dishing out over 103 million dollars over Japanese super star, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Mark Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees last winter, netting 180 million dollars over 8 years, which ranks #3 all time. Tied with him is Manny Ramirez's 22.5 million dollar earnings in 2004. In comparison, Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in the history of baseball, earned 28 million dollars in his record setting 2008 season. It shattered his previous milestone of 26 million in 2005. Guess who A-Rod's agent is? Carlos Beltran, center fielder for the New York Mets, earned 18.6 million dollars in 2008. Good enough for #9 in a single season.
Barry Zito received a 126 million dollar offer over 7 years, which he accepted with open arms. At the time, it set a record for the highest contract for a pitcher. Since then, he has gone 30 - 41 for the Giants. JD Drew, right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, signed a 70 million dollar contract over 5 years. In 2009, an aging Derek Lowe received a four year deal worth 60 million dollars. And Jeff Weaver got 8.5 million dollars to have a 3-10 record with an ERA of 6.29.
Scott Boras is the devil to small market teams. Stars rely on him to give them a large enough contract to set them, their family, and their entire neighborhood for life. He's what makes teams like the Red Sox and Yankees strong and makes the Mets have the 2nd highest salary payroll. And for teams like the Giants, Barry Zito makes twice as much as Aaron Rowand, the second highest paid player on the team. Zito also takes up over 20% of their team salary. Forget about James Bond, this is one agent, you do not want to mess with.
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
But what about the people behind the action? The Managers? Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Lou Pinella change the game themselves as well. But if you go further back, you get the front office. Billy Beane, Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman all have structured ways to give their team the best opportunity to win. But the question still remains. Which person in all of major league baseball changes the game the most? Catchers run the pitching staff, shortstops patrols the infield and the center fielder has the right to call every one else off. Managers decide who plays and the front office supplies those people.
But there is one man above all, but this man is no player. This man is a GM's worst enemy. His name is Scott Boras. It's a name that only fans who follow the game closely know. The name is not nearly as popular as Matsuzaka's, Teixeira's, or even Strasburg's. Yet, those three are all his clients.
Scott Boras is an agent for over 90 baseball players and for good reason. Stephen Strasburg, the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, recently set a record for highest signing bonus after the draft. The Washington Nationals offered a record setting 12 million dollars as the bonus, which Boras declined. Strasburg ended up getting 15 million.
Boras forced the Boston Red Sox into dishing out over 103 million dollars over Japanese super star, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Mark Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees last winter, netting 180 million dollars over 8 years, which ranks #3 all time. Tied with him is Manny Ramirez's 22.5 million dollar earnings in 2004. In comparison, Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in the history of baseball, earned 28 million dollars in his record setting 2008 season. It shattered his previous milestone of 26 million in 2005. Guess who A-Rod's agent is? Carlos Beltran, center fielder for the New York Mets, earned 18.6 million dollars in 2008. Good enough for #9 in a single season.
Barry Zito received a 126 million dollar offer over 7 years, which he accepted with open arms. At the time, it set a record for the highest contract for a pitcher. Since then, he has gone 30 - 41 for the Giants. JD Drew, right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, signed a 70 million dollar contract over 5 years. In 2009, an aging Derek Lowe received a four year deal worth 60 million dollars. And Jeff Weaver got 8.5 million dollars to have a 3-10 record with an ERA of 6.29.
Scott Boras is the devil to small market teams. Stars rely on him to give them a large enough contract to set them, their family, and their entire neighborhood for life. He's what makes teams like the Red Sox and Yankees strong and makes the Mets have the 2nd highest salary payroll. And for teams like the Giants, Barry Zito makes twice as much as Aaron Rowand, the second highest paid player on the team. Zito also takes up over 20% of their team salary. Forget about James Bond, this is one agent, you do not want to mess with.
The Devil of Baseball
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
