MoneyballThe Art and Zen of the Mets’ version of “Moneyball

The art and zen of the Mets' version of 'Moneyball'

THE REINVENTION OF THE METS: A DIFFERENT WAY TO RUN A BALLCLUB◦ pouring the data into algorithms

used to assess and guide each player’s performance

◦ unlock the mystery with math, and, perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, with super-aged science. Cameras are already perched around Citi Field to capture a pitcher’s tics and a hitter’s quirks. Satellite images to measure the foot speed of a base runner and the range of an infielder may not be far off.

The art and zen of the Mets' version of 'Moneyball

Like the Mets, most clubs have a full-time “analytics” team — the baseball equivalent of mad scientists obsessed with extracting new formulas from the status quo.

“ ‘If you don’t play that way, then realize we’re looking for somebody else. Right now.’ ”

The newfangled data, they insist, has not replaced but rather added nuance and dimension to traditional scouting (what the sport calls “eyeballs”).

The art and zen of the Mets' version of 'Moneyball

Moneyball had little to do with that, little to do with stats in general. What it was really about was being open-minded and being a constant learner.”

Moneyball gets its name because it is rooted in the bottom line. But since it became a craze, just one team has won a World Series without having a payroll ranked in the top half of the sport. These numbers send a message to pragmatic men like Alderson, highlighting that while operating on a limited budget can work to create a contender, as it has sporadically in Oakland, it probably won’t produce a champion.

“You have to have a widget factory,” Alderson said. “Like a hedge fund, or mutual fund, it’s actively managed. How do they make decisions? They have a system. Either they beat the market or they don’t, but you have a system.”

The art and zen of the Mets' version of 'Moneyball

But the algorithms used to ultimately assign a value to each player differ from team to team, and are held as tight as a batter’s grip.