02-06-2009, 03:26 PM
Just to expand -- a lot, maybe most, teams now have the philosophy of taking a lot of pitches, taking walks, wearing down the starter, etc. I'm not saying there weren't players who took a lot of walks before Beane, but it wasn't emphasized to the extent it is now. Whether a straight line can be drawn directly to Beane, I'm not sure. But he has had an effect.