The Search For A Winner : Stats Can Be Overdone
Something I’m always worried about is an organization’s dependance on sabermetrics.
The numbers may not lie, but they certainly are frequently misread.
In a lot of cases, excessive dependance on stats are the attempt, by those who don’t instinctively understand the game, to find a way to explain every little inch of our game.
That simply can’t be done - which does NOT mean one should simply abandon metrics altogether.
What I’m trying (in a bumbling sort of way) to get at here is that I’d rather see someone who understands the metrics but also has cred (preferrably as a player, not/not just as a manager) and understands that you’re not the players’ friend - that elusive Daddy figure that can get inside everyone’s heads and make them PLAY.
Maybe it’s "Hey, you realize that, when you take the first pitch, your average jumps thirty points." Maybe it’s "You’re not trying enough. Get your head out of your ass." Maybe it’s even, "Hey, maybe you need to go out when we get on the road. Pick a buddy and go get tanked and laid. (that last one was the Keith Hernandez SlumpBuster)
All in all, I just want a cautionary note (not that I’m the Great Baseball God or anything) slid in here, and I’ll quote Darth Vader (baseball AND Star Wars in one post?!? Good Lord);
"I find your lack of faith...disturbing..."
Don’t forget the soul of the game, either. After all, them there stats come from human beings.
