Organizational Ranking Weights

Beginning next week, we will be rolling out our 2011 Organizational Rankings, and due to a reaction that we’ll just refer to as “popular demand”, we’ve revamped the system and are doing them a bit differently this year. Last year, you guys asked for a system that is a bit less subjective than what we had done previously, and since we’re into objective measures around here, that seemed like a perfectly natural request. So, this time around, we’re going with a model that weights what we consider to be the four main variables to a franchise’s success, resulting in a final tally.

Of course, the model is being designed by humans, so there is still room for subjectivity in the results. After all, we  all likelyhave differing opinions on the relative weights that should be assigned to each variable, and those weights would likely become a new target of angst for those who disagreed with the final outcome for one team or another. So, in the spirit of the Wisdom Of Crowds, you guys are going to help decide the weightings for each of the four identified variables.

The four categories are as follows.

Financial Strength

This category will essentially cover the revenue generating capabilities of each market, as well as the capability of the current ownership to invest money back into the franchise. Obviously, there are large disparities in revenue streams among markets, and certain owners are able to put more of their own money into a franchise than others. Factors relating to access to capital, both short term and long term, will be included here, as well as the organization’s payroll flexibility in the future. The perceived wisdom of an owner or ownership group is not part of this variable. This is strictly the financial aspects of the organization.

Baseball Operations

Here we will evaluate the relative merits of each organization in terms of acquiring and developing talent. The organizational philosophy and interest level by the executive level will be included, as will the abilities of the front office to identify how to put together a big league roster, the perceived quality of the organization’s scouting department, and the on-field development staff that helps the players develop their talent into productivity. Essentially, this area will focus on how well we believe the team will be able to use their stock of talent and create new ones going forward without considering the team’s financial resources, which are covered separately.

Present Talent

This area will look at the players who are capable of producing value now and in the near future (given that they are under team control beyond 2011, anyway). Those teams who are setup to contend now, or could legitimately be expected to be strong contenders soon based on what they already have on the roster, will be rewarded here for the talent they have on hand.

Future Talent

This area will deal with the relative strength of each team’s farm system. For those who have undergone several years of struggles while focusing heavily on developing internal talent, they will find their reward in this category. Likewise, teams that have mortgaged the future will be dragged down by the slow flow of value that may be expected from the current state of prospects in the system.

Each of these areas are important to an organization’s success, but they aren’t equally important. So, while I have my ideas for what the relative weights of each should be, I wanted to get your input as well. While the weights that you guys vote on may not match exactly what we end up using for the model, the results of the polls below will be a significant factor in deciding how each category is valued.

Happy Voting!