In baseball as in life, balance must be advocated. Perhaps some organizations that swear by advanced statistics should be reminded of this. A part of logic and feeling must also be incorporated into the strategy.
And Boston Red Sox reliever Kenley Jansen agrees.
Let me put it this way: analytics won’t win you championships because numbers are numbers, but you don’t have the feeling of the game. A player can go against the numbers. You just have to see how the guy is doing at this point.
So true. When I see a manager pull a pitcher in FULL control because that was the plan (read here Blake Snell in the 2020 World Series and a host of other examples), I see red.
It’s a safe bet that the little geniuses of advanced statistics will not be delighted with Jansen’s remarks.
It’s true that Jansen spent the first 12 years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning a World Series with them in 2020, and they have a reputation for relying heavily on advanced stats, but there’s has a margin between leaning heavily on something and letting his head completely out.
Jansen’s boss at the Red Stockings, Chaim Bloom, is also from this school. There is, however, a difference between decisions made on the second floor and those made on the pitch during a game.
- Burglars at Domingo German and Luis Severino’s.
- The Braves seem to have made the right call at shortstop.
- Blue Jays rotation update.
