By Ken Schachter

Billy Beane, the baseball executive whose formula for wringing the best talent out of a paltry payroll was chronicled in the book “Moneyball,” has joined the board of NetSuite, the company announced Thursday.

Mr. Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s and a former journeyman infielder, also serves as a director for Riddell, the NFL’s official helmet company, and Protrade, a sports entertainment company.

Part of Mr. Beane’s baseball strategy involves applying statistical analysis in player evaluations. His strategy has allowed the small-market A’s to compete successfully with teams like the New York Yankees despite losing its top stars Jason Giambi (now a Yankee) and Barry Zito (signed by the San Francisco Giants for $126 million) to free agency.

"Billy's outrageously successful approach in changing the game of baseball by managing using facts to supplement instinct is very similar to the transformation our customers undergo when they move their business to NetSuite," said Evan Goldberg, chief technology officer of NetSuite, in a statement. "We are all excited about the insight Billy will bring to NetSuite and our customers."

NetSuite makes business application software for small and midsize businesses. The nine-year-old San Mateo, Calif., company’s suite includes programs for customer relationship management, order fulfillment, inventory, finance, product assembly, e-commerce, web site management, and employee productivity.

The closely held company was founded by Goldberg and Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder and chief executive of Oracle Corp.

Mr. Beane said in a statement that NetSuite’s programs have helped the A’s. "I have seen first hand how NetSuite helps the A's run our sales and marketing organizations more effectively, and I look forward to helping other companies use our knowledge to improve the performance of their organizations."