combination of analysis and feelings

On the paper, Houston y Philadelphia They seem to be two different teams fighting for the Fall Classic, however there is something that unites them and that has taken them where they are. Their respective coaches, Dusty Baker and Rob Thomson, have been able to take advantage of what big data has left in the franchises they now command.

What a team from any discipline can do with data collection to improve, specifically, the results within their league or sport, is becoming more and more relevant. Baseball is one of the most accurate examples on this point, since the analysis of statistics has been synonymous with success, even the Astros themselves boast this in their only World Series win in 2017.

Jeff Lunhow he was the mastermind who invested in technology to bring the Houston team to the fore. Guided by Sig Mejdal, a former NASA worker who went on to study sleep parameters, the team created a system that highlighted players who could contribute to the team based on their specific performance. Although Lunhow left the franchise in mid-2020, the work he did for three years set a precedent in one of the most consistent teams in the franchise. MLB nowadays.

There are three points that stand out in how they use their data: hiring players and developing them to be part of the elite, always being leaders in technology and innovation, and maximizing the performance of their elements with medical practice (anticipating injuries). This has led them to play four of the last six World Series in the MLB.

Baker he leaves the numbers behind to focus on his players and ensure they feel good on the pitch: “It doesn’t matter what school or side you’re on, nothing works all the time. There are no absolutes in sports, not as long as you’re playing someone on the other side that can screw up your game plan (…) I don’t know, maybe people don’t realize that it takes years to hone your craft, and also the need to intertwine modern baseball and old baseball, and the fact that these guys are human, and they’re human beings, and they’re not just numbers,” Baker said at the time.

For its part, Philadelphia has followed the model that focuses its hiring and projections on the statistics that will work best for it in the future. It is no coincidence that they have managed to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 after reaching the fourth salary mass of the MLB with 255 million dollars.

A long overhaul of the way he selects and trains his prospects is now bearing fruit as well. Dave Dombrowski was clear about the landscape he found in the institution after becoming the team’s president of baseball operations: “He was not satisfied with the player development aspect of the organization.” This is how they bet on generating important connections with the minor leagues and replaced the hitting coordinator and the director of pitching development, to mention a couple of movements in the franchise.

Rob Thomson arrived at some Phillies already structured and with a losing streak, which he was in charge of mitigating to take them to the Fall Classic. The results speak for themselves and, if the coach has made anything clear, it is that he is not someone who is constantly on top of the statistics.

“I don’t really look at those numbers that much…maybe the GMs, the owners, the presidents, they’re trying to strike some kind of balance between analysis and old-school baseball. I don’t know. That’s the only thing I can think of”, commented the Philadelphia coach before celebrating that, despite the heavy investment of money in big data, the decisions on the diamond pass exclusively through him.

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