There was a time when any suggestion from an outsider would get the same reaction from baseball lifers.
A tilt of the head, an ironic smile and the inevitable question: "You ever play the game?"
Of course, most of the people doing the suggesting had not. They had not lived the life, never learned creative spitting, never developed the knack of expecting someone else to do everything for them.
That pretty much shut down the suggestions.
How things have changed. Call it revenge of the nerds, but the non-players have more responsibility than ever in MLB.
Some Pirates' lineup suggestions have originated in the analytics department, and no player acquisition is ever considered without a full ration of numbers to augment the live scouting.
Clint Hurdle recently said that when he was considering a decision, he asked the Pirates' analysts to work up some numbers so he could see if his instincts were correct.
A manager who isn't on board with the new methods won't last long. Supposedly one of the reasons Seattle fired Lloyd McClendon after last season was his reluctance to buy into the analytic results that were presented to him.
It's come a long way from the tobacco chewing scouts who were fond of saying, "I don't need no damn computer to tell me who's a good player."
The Cleveland Indians were one of the first teams to lean heavily on numbers crunchers. The traditionalists in the organization used to refer to them as "the propeller heads."
Neal Huntington was a graduate of that Indians program. He's developed into one of the best general managers in the game. Considering the budget he's given, the case could be made that Huntington is the game's most effective administrator.
"You ever play the game?" Huntington played in college, but not professionally.
Which just proves that a lack of playing experience isn't necessarily an impediment to smart decision making.
Propeller heads everywhere, take heart.
---
--STRAIGHT TALK
Alen Hanson spent three days with the Pirates last week while Starling Marte was on paternity leave.
Hanson got a couple of at-bats, but the main purpose of the brief visit may have been motivational. The Pirates wanted him to get a glimpse of the major league life, which would perhaps stoke him to work harder to reach the level where the minimum salary is $507,500.
Hanson has talent, but he's also had attitude issues in the minor leagues. He got a full blast of Hurdle reminding him what a chance he has to make money if he just gets himself in gear.
In another generation, McClendon made a personal project of Aramis Ramirez, who couldn't seem to find the motivation to take his baseball career seriously. McClendon alternately castigated and coaxed, and Ramirez saw the light. He lost weight, he put in extra work, and he maximized his considerable talent.
When Ramirez called it a career last fall, he had banked almost $148 million from his 18 major league seasons.
Hanson's brief call-up was a wake-up call. This can be a wonderful life for those who work at it.
---
--WAIT AND SEE
Because people seek out stress, there's always much consternation about whether the Pirates will retain Andrew McCutchen beyond his current contract.
The Pirates hold an option on McCutchen for the 2018 season, so he's not going anywhere soon.
But consider this: By the time 2019 rolls around, McCutchen may be the Pirates' third-best outfielder after Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.
---
--TOO MUCH FLUFF
There's no secret to why Root Sports broadcasts include viewer Tweets.
The segments are sponsored, and Root no doubt figures this shows they're progressive enough to be involved in social media.
But shouldn't the Tweets at least say something? Jordy Mercer hit a triple the other night, and Root felt compelled to share a viewer Tweet that said, "Jordy! Triple! Good hustle."
That's screen time that could have been devoted to a shot of a kid eating cotton candy.
No comments:
Post a Comment