I had another year after that. Paul DePodestas wealth has increased significantly in real life as a result of his contributions to the game. Copyright 2023 DotComStories | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, https://dotcomstories.com/author/divesh-solanki/. After earning his economics degree from Harvard, Paul DePodesta worked as a scout for Cleveland before Billy Beane asked him to personally fix the Oakland As. According to a 2012 report in the Boston Herald, Howe was so hurt by the portrayal that he nearly didnt attend an event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the teams playoff run. On-screen, Howe not only voices his opposition to Beanes strategy but at times outright defies him. In this time, the punishment for adultery was to be stoned to death; however, Jesus came to this woman's defense. Famously, he was the victim of Derek Jeters unbelievable flip in the 2001 ALDS, according to the New York Post. They happily oblige when we pick up their front paws and force them to dance with us around the house. Stay in touch. Palak Tiwari Is All Set To Dazzle Bollywood With Her Beauty, That 90s Show Cast All Main Characters Are back Except One, 11 Bollywood Actresses Who Changed Their Real Names, 10 Celebrities Who Have Used Tinder Just Like Us, Violent Night Available On Only One Streaming Platform Read Details, Kiara Advanis Bold Looks Everyone Is Going Crazy For. I think the book hurt me and now the movie. The Oakland Athletics baseball team won many games and succeeded in reaching the "Playoffs" games of the 2001 post-season. Hill, the unanticipated mastermind of the analytics method at the heart of the 2011 baseball drama that recasts the fortunes of Billy Beane's (Brad Pitt) Oakland A's, drew inspiration from DePodesta. being arrogant, and actually telling Billy Beane that he was special, and that Billy was paying him $7 million. The three pitchers would make a combined total of nine All-Star games in their careers. Beane assembles a team of no names who, on paper, can get on base and score runs. Songs About Being 17Grey's Anatomy QuotesVine Quotes4 Leaf CloverSelf Respect, 1. Oakland A's GM Billy Beane is handicapped with the lowest salary constraint in baseball. Howe said he didn't expect that to happen, however. A real disc jockey inspired Robin Williams classic character. In fact, DePodesta and Beane werent even attempting to make data the star of the game. They dont believe that statistics can replace the more human, qualitative approach to their work. Likewise, Moneyball has cemented its position in contemporary sports and entertainment, much like other sports movies based on true stories like Friday Night Lights and A League of Their Own. Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players. However, in 2002, the Athletics went an amazing 32-14 in one-run games. We think of the church as the place we go, or don't go, on Sunday mornings. She was also ridiculed and harassed by her school mates in high school because of her differences. Regarding the other two players mentioned in that scene, Scott Hatteberg and David Justice, heres the Moneyball lies on them. He had an advantage, as demonstrated by Peter Brand, in that he believed in employing sabermetrics to operate the squad entirely quantitatively (derived from the Society for American Baseball Research acronym SABR). I remember how senior year, you told me you were applying to one of the same schools as me. Moreover, unlike the movie, the dynamic duo of Beane and DePodesta didnt set out to be mad baseball scientists trying to upend the game. For all its complex terminology, Moneyballs sabermetrics is fairly simple. Those of you who know me probably know that I am obsessed with dogs. In verse 7, He declared "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.". They were merely trying to make it a cost-effective one. print. Its probably a little dangerous if we just disregard that. Then in two hours, people who dont know me and Brad Pitts a big name, people are going to see his movies and all these people across the country are going to go in and get this perception of me thats totally unfair and untruthful. I know Twitter just discovered her because of 'Bird Box,' but she has a million other movies that are just as amazing (you're one step closer to being Miss Congeniality). The proposed deal to take the parent company of the Boston Red Sox public leaves Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics executive of "Moneyball" fame who . It is after Howe refuses to start Hatteberg that Beane forces his hand and trades Pea. I don't know who it is but maybe it is Hollywood to make it sell, I guess. Moneyball focuses on Billy Beane, General Manager of Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team. After Moneyball's troubled development, which saw the arrival and departure of creative movie legend Steven Soderbergh in the director's chair and actor/comedian Demetri Martin as DePodesta, the team of Brad Pitt, director Bennett Miller, and Jonah Hill got the wheels moving, with Aaron Sorkin hired to rewrite the script with Steven Zaillian. After he meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), an Ivy League economics major working as an executive assistant for scouting on another team, Beane realizes he's found the man who understands how to subvert the system of assessing players that's been in place for nearly a century. Peter Brand : It's about getting things down to one number. The As are one of the poorest teams in Major League Baseball, and Beane has to get creative if he wants to start winning games. We had the same, stupid sense of humor and bonded over Spongebob jokes. Paul DePodesta could have been like Billy Beane. Jason Isringhausen. In the film, Beane fires Fuson after the latter questions Beanes radical approach to scouting. I remember when we both received acceptance letters to Notre Dame of Maryland University and swore we'd stay best friends through college. Howes not the only person unhappy with his portrayal. His legacy outside baseball is predominantly thanks to Moneyball, and . This is clearly the best one. Theres no question Billy Beane is the hero of, Hes resolute, and hes the one proven right in the end. At age 13 she was married, but left shortly after to pursue her passion for theater as a vaudeville performer. Then, Beane's manager, Art Howe, won't use the players as Beane wants. 1 - Constraints bring innovation Context: Oakland A's owner explains to Billy Beane why he can . And we did. Likewise, similar to other true-story-inspired sports movies like Friday Night Lights and A League of Their Own, Moneyball has secured its place in modern sports and entertainment. After the rocky production of Moneyball, which included the hiring and firing of Steven Soderbergh as director and the on-and-off casting of actor/comedian Demetri Martin as DePodesta, the team of Brad Pitt, director Bennett Miller, and Jonah Hill got things moving. In fact, DePodesta and Beane werent even attempting to make data the star of the game. They ended up losing in the playoffs, but nevertheless, they won more games that year than the previous one. The real guy's name was Paul DePodesta. After starting his career as a professional baseball player, Billy Beane . With the support of her mother, teachers, therapists and loved ones, she went on to receive her doctoral in animal science. Howe, too, was depicted as hostile to Beanes progressive ideas and set in his ways. Beane rejected the deal, which would have made him the highest-paid general manager ever. On the other hand, theres no question in my mind that the data is important. Carmel High School in San Diego, California. The rewriting saw Paul DePodesta decide Moneyball's version of "Paul DePodesta" was no longer true to life and requested that his name be removed from the character. Los Angeles had a good 04 season, but in 05 the team had its worst year in almost 50 years, and DePodesta was sacked as a result of a mix of injuries, free agent departures of key players, and management decisions. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. But within the family things get complicated. He gained a small degree of power and influence with the Cleveland team. I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.". Translation: they were really good. Tejada played all 162 games for the Oakland As that season and hit .308 with 34 home runs and 131 runs batted in, according to Baseball-Reference. In DePodestas own words, to The Washington Post, There are human elements that go into the development of players. Starring everyone's favorite heartthrob, Brad Pitt, as Beane and rib-tickler Jonah Hill as Peter Brand, Beane's math-whiz sidekick, 'Moneyball' tells the . I can literally remember it like it were yesterday: I was terrified and clutching my red folder like it was my lifesaver in a room where I was drowning. The 2011 baseball thriller that reinvents the fortunes of Billy Beane's (Brad Pitt) Oakland A's was inspired by DePodesta and features Hill Yes, we are to hold each other accountable, but by no means should we be viewing ourselves as any better than a fellow brother, sister, or even someone who has not come to Christ yet. Among the reasons the article gives for DePodestas wise choice is that Moneyball did not leave much room for nuance. Her disability caused strife even within her own family; her mother and father divorced when she was 15 largely because of the stresses of raising Temple. A: That was fictitious. He has married her twice. Those three players that left were Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Jason Isringhausen. Screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkinadapted Michael Lewis 2003 nonfiction book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game for the thoughtful sports movie. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. Starring everyones favorite heartthrob, Brad Pitt, as Beane and rib-tickler Jonah Hill as Peter Brand, Beanes math-whiz sidekick, Moneyball tells the story of a quintessential underdog baseball team, the As, and how it circumvents a shoestring budget with ingenuity. Society tells us that it is more acceptable to be drunk every weekend than cheat on spouses. DePodesta also graduated from Harvard, not Yale, and certainly wasnt the jittery, non-athlete type. Born on March 29, 1962, Billy Beane's age is 60 years now. The movie came out in 2011 starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, Jonah Hill as Peter Brand the stats analyst, Philip Seymour Hoffmann as Art Howe the manager, Robin Wright as Sharon, Billy Beane's ex-wife, Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg the first baseman and Robert Kotick as Stephen Schott one of the A . MESA, ARIZ. - FEB. 16: Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics vice president of . The movie shows them replacing Isringhausen with Chad Bradford, but they really just traded Eric Hinske and a minor leaguer for Billy Koch, who was a perfect replacement for Isringhausen. After navigating a successful '04 season, a combination of injuries, free agency departures of key personnel, and management decisions saw Los Angeles turn in its worst season in nearly a half-century in '05, and DePodesta was fired. Its no wonder baseball fans raised an eyebrow at the movie. He played football, baseball, and basketball in high school. We even lived as roommates for two (and a quarter) years. Following the Athletics' 2002 season, Red Sox owner John Henry, who Beane will be working with if the merger is completed, offered Beane $12.5 million to become the Red Sox general manager. Johnny Damon. Radnich asks, "if you don't know Michael Lewis, the author. He has accumulated most of his wealth through playing baseball. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook3. If you think I'm wrong, then you're probably a Taurus (did I do that right?). In the movie, he enlists the help of Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a geeky Yale grad with a passion for statistics. The questions in this section will help students understand the background of the Oakland Athletics, Billy Beane, and Peter Brand. Josephine Baker was born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri. Whether his position was weakened by familiarity or not, Paul DePodesta continued to live life like the plot to a baseball movie by applying his unique abilities into positions with the San Diego Padres and New York Mets before the National Football League decided his analytics approach could be used to evolve their sport. Paul DePodesta's net worth is difficult to precisely determine, but based on what's known about him, DePodesta's overall current net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. Using the stats the way we read them, we'll find value in players that no one else can see. Yes, we learn about some influential women, but most have been forgotten or buried in the margins of textbook. DePodesta is modest about his own achievements in the world of sports, but his contributions haven't gone unnoticed. Resident Evil Netflix Series Cast And Characters Explained, Here's Why Rick Lagina From The Curse Of Oak Island Almost Left The Show Once. Photo: @billybeanball. In this movie, Billy Beane, General Manager at Oakland Athletics baseball team, faced with a limited budget, assembled a competitive team of undervalued talent with the help of Peter Brand, a . When the As start winning, Beane gets the credit. If you've seen the film, you know that Howe, portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is depicted as intransigent about accepting the cutting-edge statistical theories of GM Billy Beane and his assistant. None of those players came from Paul DePodesta's list of undervalued players to sign. While Brad Pitt never mentions soccer in the film, Billy Beane is actually a huge fan of the sport. At the time of the movies release, baseball writers pointed out its. In the end, that youthful fantasy turned out to be a humorous footnote to one of sports most legendary success tales. Beane and DePodesta were professionals at finding these undervalued players, but they were also very skilled in the trade market. Zacchaeus became a changed man because of that time with Jesus. Howe, in an, Radio, expressed his displeasure about his portrayal, saying, it is very disappointing to know that you spent seven years in an organization and gave your heart and soul to it and helped them go to the postseason your last three years there and win over 100 games your last two seasons and this is the way evidently your boss [Beane] feels about you., Howes not the only person unhappy with his portrayal. The Moneyball theory serves as a perfect metaphor for Beanes own life story. He previously served as a front-office assistant for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, and New York Mets.DePodesta was also general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jesus was in the temple when He saw others selling and bargaining inside. Billy then told him that he was smart, knew what was going on, and that Billy needed him to set an example for the younger guys and take on a leadership role. Beanes greatest critics within the movie are the organizations scouts. Moneyballand its reception is a living document of the debate over sabermetrics, a debate that continues in baseball, and all professional sports, to this day. Moneyball significantly altered Michael Lewis book, and much of that effort went into rewriting the true account of Paul and Billy Beanes ascent to the pinnacle of sports management, as written by acclaimed and contentious screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. And I didnt necessarily need to relive it," DePodesta admitted. Jahn Hakes and Skip Sauer showed this in a very good economics paper. And third baseman Eric Chavez, who won six consecutive Gold Glove awards in the early 2000s, similarly gets no respect. All those wins in 2001 didn't matter, because Seattle won 116 games, anyway. However, he left Oakland to take a better job with the Texas Rangers and later returned to the team briefly in 2010 as a special assistant to Billy Beane, according to Mercury News. That being said, DePodesta didn't want his real name to be used in the movie, and while he liked both the novel and the film, he ultimately felt that his portrayal was a caricature. She is not only a renowned animal behavioral specialist, but is also on the Autism spectrum. Unfortunately, the tendinitis in his elbow means the player is no longer suited for his catcher position. I envied your blas attitude and I feared that my over-excitable nature would ruin a friendship before it began. At no point did DePodesta or Beane advocate for eliminating traditional scouting methods as the film suggests. The truth is that Beane carried, ( maybe he still does), a little white . Hudson had been an All-Star in 2000. DePodesta was reportedly so disappointed with his portrayal in the movie that he requested that all likeness to him be changed. However, what about the real Paul Podesta and did he really change the game this drastically? Combined, they had a .352 on-base percentage.There's a huge flaw in this movie, though. In Moneyball, Peter Brand/Paul Podesta is an intriguing figure with radical ideas about how to play the sports management game. Despite this heartbreak, Meitner still proves to the world that women can be and are exceptional scientists, whether or not they are given the due credit. And winning the division instead of just the wildcard in 2002 didn't matter, since they were knocked out in the first round. All dogs. But not so for Howe. More: Every Major Movie Role Brad Pitt Turned Down. Sports last Sunday: "Considering the book wasn't real favorable to me to start with I figured it would be something like this but to be honest with you it is very disappointing to know that you spent seven years in an organization and gave your heart and soul to it and helped them go to the postseason your last three years there and win over 100 games your last two seasons and this is the way evidently your boss [Beane] feels about you. They dont judge us when they see us eating junk food that we really shouldnt; instead they just want us to share it. "They never called me to get my slant on things as far as the movie was concerned. She eventually moved to Paris and became a French citizen. To say that moneyball was the whole reason behind their success is false, but to say it didn't help at all is also false.The fact is, Beane used his expertise as a general manager and his skill on the trading block, combined with DePodesta's knowledge of finding cheap, undervalued players in the market, to achieve the best output on the field that the low-budget Oakland Athletics could afford. Translation: they were really good. For it was Beane that first imposed "sabermetrics," or baseball science, on a major league club. However, at that time, Pena was playing a stint in the minors with the Sacramento River Cats and wasnt traded to the Detroit Tigers until July, according to Baseball-Reference and Stats Crew. They were merely trying to make it a cost-effective one. Billy Beane has molded the Oakland A's into one of baseball's most respected teams since he was named head of baseball operations following the 1997 season. Enter Peter Brand. This isn't to discredit DePodesta and Beane, because moneyball did help them win. Unfortunately, the tendinitis in his elbow means the player is no longer suited for his catcher position. If you can sing like her, too, it's a plus. He did not sugarcoat things, and he never compromised the truth. What is the problem that Billy Beane and his scouts had to solve? Beyonce! Billy was a smart but Peter Brand was a genius. And that's what I want, I want it to mean something.". Moreover, Beane is the child of a career military family. The Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), Peter and his constant doubting and slip-ups, and the sinner hanging on the cross next to Jesus (Luke 23:40-43.) Heres a look at a few of the biggest lies from Moneyball. Joining forces with Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane prepares to challenge old-school traditions. One of the Oakland A's biggest assets has been their ability to get better after the middle of the seasonin no small part because Billy Beane is so talented at making good trades. But this story of the 2002 Athletics was just the basis of many more baseball organizations implementing this theory of "moneyball.". It is after Howe refuses to start Hatteberg that Beane forces his hand and trades Pea. Every baseball fan knows about the 2011 movie "Moneyball." When the As start winning, Beane gets the credit. I might be a little biased since this is my sign, but come on, it's Beyonce. Pisces are so talented they don't even need a last name. I mean, how boring would it be if everyone just got along? Either way, Superbad star Jonah Hill does a fantastic job as Peter Brand in Moneyball, even if his portrayal of Paul DePodesta wasn't that accurate. My agent always took care of my contract; I never negotiated with Billy, especially not in the hallway of the clubhouse. The Oakland As are a small market team and could never attract the kind of revenue that the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox can. Because of this, Billy took notice of Peter and hired him . In 2001, General Manager Billy Beane's Oakland A's lose to the Yankees in the playoffs then lose three stars to free agency. So Beane finds a new spot for him. When asked about how his initial goals aligned with that of his character in Moneyball, Paul DePodesta admitted that it wasn't his intention to upend sports analysis like Jonah Hill's character, rather, he wanted to try and help the team at hand in a new way. It poses as the age-old story of convention versus innovation told through the lens of sport. "I just didnt feel comfortable that however I was going to be portrayed in the movie was going to be how 99.9 percent of the public imagined me to be, and would assume that whatever was in the movie was absolutely true, which it wasnt. of a baseball team that is (are) required to achieve the goal that you have answered in Q1. Unlike other sports, there is no salary cap in the MLB. Is Peter Brand a real person? Mainstream movies must have a protagonist we can root for and empathize with, one who beats the antagonist(s) and proves them wrong. Its true that Fuson left the team in 2002. They appeared in the playoffs three times and twice won more than a hundred games in a season. In an interview for SiriusXMs Mad Dog Sports Radio. And this leads people who run Major League Baseball teams to misjudge their players and mismanage their . His risks pay off and he is celebrated for changing the game of baseball. But one of the many things that make Moneyball so interesting is how it deviates from those real events. This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator. In the MLB, most teams win about half of the games that the winner wins by just one run. Never forget it. To the consternation of his scouts, Beane hires and listens to Peter Brand, a recent Yale grad who evaluates players using Bill James' statistical approach. As a young girl, Audrey lived under German occupation in the Netherlands. Lets find out. However, critics contend that the movie walks a fine line between fact and fiction. We grow up in a culture that tells us not to associate with others because of their certain sins. We sat at the same lunch table for four years. After the release of the movie, Howe, understandably upset, offered a more nuanced history of his time with the organization. Casey Beane is the daughter of Billy Beane. Recognizing that the common wisdom on baseball is wildly misleading, Paul bets heavily on . Before getting married, the couple had been close friends since childhood. Society tells us that some sins are worse than others. From Moneyball to the NFL, Paul DePodesta has left a sizable mark on the face of professional sports. In reality, DePodesta was a seasoned athlete and a budding baseball scout. And in 2002, the year depicted in. In Luke 19, Jesus called Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, down from a tree. Follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter. However, he left Oakland to take a better job with the Texas Rangers and later returned to the team briefly in 2010 as a special assistant to Billy Beane, according to Mercury News. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. When Moneyball needed an adversary or two to Pitts hero, Beane is shown clashing with colleagues skeptical of the sabermetric methods he swears by. At its core, Moneyball builds itself to be a parable. And third baseman Eric Chavez, who won six consecutive Gold Glove awards in the early 2000s, similarly gets no respect. Theory of Constraints - Stop optimizing "departments" and "functions" and start optimizing the whole system (system thinking). In the face of terror and hatred, Malala acts with grace and courage. That year, Damon was a small 2.7 wins above replacement, making him the fifth-most valuable batter on the team. Related: The Perfect Friday Night Lights Crossover Characters For FNL's Reboot. How many hits did Billy Beane have? The thing that is best about them, though, is just how much they love us. Judgement. Hollywood has produced many a homage to the sport, from the classic Field of Dreams to the inspirational Million Dollar Arm. But the movie that eclipsed them all, in imagination, scale and more, is Moneyball.. Their success would go on to influence professional sports of all kinds for years to come. So Im very upset. While on the topic of trading, the movie shows just one phone call to trade Carlos Pena, but in reality it was a huge blockbuster trade involving three teams and seven players. People get hurt, and they let this put a wedge in their personal relationship with Christ. You should be over the moon to share a sign with him. Thats as real as it gets. "[Lewis] came in my office for about 10 minutes one day and that's all the time he spent with me. Howe went on KNBR yesterday to discuss the matter with Gary Radnich and Larry Krueger. (and no, that's not a pickup line). Oakland Athletics executive Billy Beane may be the best known member of any front office in baseball. After losing three star players at the end of the 2001 playoffs, Beane, with the help of Yale graduate Peter Brand, turned the Athletics around by using analytics and formulas to sign undervalued players. Thats the Moneyball story that Hollywood tells you. Still, as mentioned earlier, the film got the majority of things correct, which longtime Oakland As clubhouse manager Steve Vucinich confirmed to The Star around the time of the films release in Sept. 2011. What position did Billy Beane play? Indeed, in real life, Paul DePodesta's net worth has skyrocketed due to his contributions to the game. The Ivy League-educated Brand inducts Beane into the creed of sabermetrics. Sabermetrics is a form of numerical analysis of baseball records that can help scout potential players. Audrey Hepburn was a true Renaissance woman. DePodesta was the inspiration for Hill's unexpected mastermind of the analytics approach at the center of the 2011 baseball drama that reinvents the fortunes of Billy Beane's (Brad Pitt) Oakland A's. This was perhaps compounded by the fact that he found fame an uneasy companion, and expressed disdain for Michael Lewis' book and how much his "trade secrets" were exposed. They didnt do their homework as far as the movie was concerned because I was on a two-year contract through 2003. However, Otto Hahn and co-collaborator Fritz Strassman took all credit for the discovery and excluded her from the publication as well as subsequent accolades including the Nobel Prize. Beane fired back, briefly, yesterday, telling the Bay Area News Group, "I was wondering who was going to be the first guy to think I produced, wrote or directed this movie. She turned the fashion world on its head by liberating women from the hated corset in favor of a more comfortable yet still elegant style. People who don't know me are going to think that's the real Art Howe.". During the off season, they lose three of their star players through free agency, most problematic being first baseman. She also pioneered her famous Chanel suit thus empowering working women. The role was originally going to be given DePodesta's name and portrayed by Demetri Martin, but DePodesta did not want his name or likeness to be used in the movie, so the character was named Peter Brand. With a philosophy based not on superstars but rather on mathematical certainty (to the extent that it was possible), Beane and DePodesta used this ground-breaking strategy to win 20 straight games on a shoestring budget. Beane likes Hattebergs offensive abilities and wants to keep him around. Who Is Tara Beane, Moneyball Fame Billy Beane's Wife & What Does She Do? Yes, a bear actually did consumer millions of dollars worth of cocaine. Before she married former basketball player Billy Beane, Tara Beane was a regular girl. Meitner was an absolutely brilliant scientist, and collaborated on research at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institute with Hahn. Its probably a little dangerous if we just disregard that. A pivotal moment comes when Beane decides to trade Carlos Pea, a rising star first baseman, and replace him with Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt), a catcher who has never played first. Billy responded by reminding him that the Yankees were paying half of that. If you ask any player that ever played for me they would say that they never saw this side of me, ever. His risks pay off and he is celebrated for changing the game of baseball. While many baseball fans have an issue with the movies depiction and rewriting of real events, Moneyballnever pretends to be a documentary or piece of journalism. He also said Beane once apologized to him in private for the way Beane treated him. You're an icon, Capricorn. The church was never meant to be a building or a denomination, it was meant to be a family. Billy Beane and Peter Brand worked together to recruit these 'unpopular', less famed, and 'cheaper' alternatives as replacement for the 3 outfield players who have departed for bigger teams.