I used to preach about the importance of the stolen base. I used to preach about the importance of the sacrifice bunt.

I used to think that money determined how good a team was and that the Oakland A’s were an exception to the rule.

Then, I started looking at baseball statistics more closely than even I, the biggest baseball fan in the world, ever did.

I was wrong.

Some of my preconceived notions about baseball were shattered.

Then, I read “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis and now I consider myself a changed man.

“Moneyball” is a book about the Oakland A’s, and more specifically, the brains behind them.

Oakland has one of the lowest payrolls in the major leagues (about $40 million, or one-third of the New York Yankees’ payroll, which is about $126 million), yet is one of the most successful teams in baseball.

How do the A’s do it?

Well, General Manager Billy Beane and assistant Paul DePodesta are geniuses and have perfected baseball efficiency.

They have put great emphasis on plate discipline and on-base percentage, two commodities undervalued on the baseball market.

They also value power, and don’t spend money on speed or defense.

It has worked for them. The A’s have improved during each of Beane’s six seasons as GM and have made the playoffs for the past three.

I’ve verified the validity of their arguments for myself:

The top four teams in the league in on-base percentage are the top four teams in runs scored. The worst five teams in the league are the bottom five in runs scored.

The relation between on-base percentage and runs scored holds with the rest of the league too, with the ranks of each team in both categories only off by one or two.

The same doesn’t hold with batting average, except for the top and bottom teams.

For example, the Cincinnati Reds are 26th in the majors in batting average, but 14th in runs.

So, what’s the main difference between a batting average and an on-base percentage?

Walks are not factored into batting averages, but are into on-base percentages. Walks are not something that just happen, they have to be earned with discipline at the plate. Hitters that don’t swing at bad pitches get walked more, and get on base more.

And more importantly, the on-base percentage is the percentage of the time you don’t make outs.

Outs are baseball’s time clock. You only get 27.

The sacrifice bunt is making an out on purpose.

Granted, it moves a runner over, but it ruins the chance of a big inning, letting a team settle for one run, if they get it.

Who leads the majors in sacrifice bunts? The Detroit Tigers, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Both of those teams have by far the worst offenses in the league.

Who has the least amount of sacrifice bunts? The Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees, two of the best offenses in baseball.

While the relation between sacrifices and runs is not as strong as on-base percentage and runs, a relation exists.

And while there is no direct relation between stolen bases and runs, studies have shown that to be effective, a base has to be stolen safely 70 percent of the time.

A baserunner being thrown out can kill a rally. Not only is an additional out recorded, but a runner that was on base is no longer there.

I used to love small ball as much as the next guy, and loved watching teams manufacture runs.

Now, I realize it’s overrated.

I feel like a completely different person now.

The stat geek walked a lot in Little League and never stole a base. He’s the perfect player. E-mail Quiñonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.