There has been a hot debate in baseball in recent seasons about the use of analytics in the decision-making process in games and even in offseason decisions, like free-agent signings or trades.
Some people love them because they provide answers to tough decisions and questions of the in-game experience, such as which pitcher should be facing a specific hitter, when to pull the starter from the game, and so on.
Others hate them because they think stats and analytics are meddling with the essence of the game.
The New York Yankees have had internal discussions about analytics and how much reliance they should have in organizational decisions.
They still aren’t quite clear on that, but their new bench coach, Brad Ausmus, recently said that he relies heavily on analytics.
Heavy reliance doesn’t mean he uses them and does nothing else as a coach or manager, though.
That’s what he said, at least.
“New #Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus said that his style will be a blend of analytical data with traditional baseball information: ‘Truth is, a lot of the data is extremely valuable. But so is experience. I put a lot of stock into decision-making that is based on data; this goes back to me being a catcher, when I used to do the scouting reports in Houston for almost a decade. It was based on data and then I would put it into play in the game,’” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted with Ausmus’ quotes.
New #Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus said that his style will be a blend of analytical data with traditional baseball information:
“Truth is, a lot of the data is extremely valuable. But so is experience. I put a lot of stock into decision-making that is based on data; this goes…
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 28, 2023
Everybody preaches the idea of blending analytics with the human eye and experience, so this is nothing shocking or overly surprising.
Any other answer would probably be unpopular with the fanbase.
However, it’s noteworthy to see a coach give away a percentage of how often he things analytics are right.
In any case, 85 percent is significant.
All things considered, Ausmus is expected to complement Yankees manager Aaron Boone with a stats-based approach, but without forgetting the eye of a former skipper and field general.
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