Togerson: Explaining the myths of baseball’s great information debate

From Derek Togerson at NBC-7 San Diego on May 12, 2015, with mention of SABR President Vince Gennaro:

Baseball history is sometimes defined by eras. No, not Earned Run Averages, I’m talking about the periods of time that represent the way the game was played.

You have the Dead Ball Era, which gave way to The Golden Era, and led seamlessly in to the Modern Era. But now it seems we have now entered a new time frame in baseball’s history and this one is still looking for a name. I think we can narrow the moniker down to two possibilities:

The Information Era or The Misinformation Era.

Advanced analytics and statistical analysis have crept in to baseball and taken root. The revolution known by many as Sabermetrics has influenced front offices for years, changing the way many teams evaluate talent. That much is undeniable and for the most part it works.

Now there’s a push to start using statistical analysis in every day baseball life. Fans want managers to follow the numbers and projections when making in-game decisions. Many are already doing that, like the Cubs’ Joe Maddon and the Padres’ Bud Black.

Speaking of Buddy, he’s the reason this piece is being written. During a recent loss to the Diamondbacks Black left pitcher Andrew Cashner in to hit for himself with the bases loaded and two outs in the 6th inning of a game the Padres trailed (and would eventually lose) 2-1. This decision caused a titanic backlash on social media, a debate I briefly took part in.

Read the full article here: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/sports/Explaining-The-Myths-Of-Baseballs-Great-Debate-303378731.html



Originally published: May 12, 2015. Last Updated: May 12, 2015.