Michael Lewis says Moneyball made baseball more boring

[micropolitan guy]

Those guys would be in their 80s. heck, they're mostly dead now.

Ty Cobb would say he could still hit .300 and he'd be 137 years old this season.

 

[Starman]

The problem with analytics is that people decide that because some strategies and playing techniques are statistically preferable much of the time, they are universally preferable all of the time. Thus you have banjo-hitting infielders swinging from the heels for home runs.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

That's the thing. The pitchers have become so filthy it necessitates maximizing your chances of hitting a homer. If the pitchers of 1963 were pitching today, some of them would probably be dead from liners right back at them.

At a game at Dodger Stadium in the '80s, 50 year old Sandy Koufax, just for a laugh, threw some Dodger BP. After about three batters, Tommy Lasorda came out and shooed him off because the Dodgers couldn't hit his stuff out of the cage. So I think he'd do fine today, just like I think Henry Aaron would hit pretty well.

 

[Ookpik]

Didn't they win a World Series after Moneyball?

No, I believe the A's last won the World Series in 1989.

 

[Songbird]

Someone referenced the woeful White Sox who are who I meant.

 

[UNCGrad]

Sorry for making a joke at the expense of the White Sox. I was mostly referencing the Athletic story about Reinsdorf and how they've lagged other organizations in their analytics department. Carry on.

Also, Go Cubs (who will also be at home this winter for as long as the Sox).

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

At a game at Dodger Stadium in the '80s, 50 year old Sandy Koufax, just for a laugh, threw some Dodger BP. After about three batters, Tommy Lasorda came out and shooed him off because the Dodgers couldn't hit his stuff out of the cage. So I think he'd do fine today, just like I think Henry Aaron would hit pretty well.

How about Johnny Podres?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Would be fitting for the Guardians bullpen to combine for a no-hitter.

 

[Azrael]

bob feller

 

[goalmouth]

At a game at Dodger Stadium in the '80s, 50 year old Sandy Koufax, just for a laugh, threw some Dodger BP. After about three batters, Tommy Lasorda came out and shooed him off because the Dodgers couldn't hit his stuff out of the cage. So I think he'd do fine today, just like I think Henry Aaron would hit pretty well.

It was before a World Series game against the Yankees.

 

[cyclingwriter2]

My hot take:

Keep Moneyball, but bring back cocaine.

 

[Starman]

One of the main principles of analytics which has become pretty much universal across all sports is, if you're not going to win the championship, fork it, tear down the entire organization to the blocks and start over again.
"Tanking" has become the operative philosophy.

So essentially, if a team makes the playoffs and advances one round then loses, the immediate inclination is to blow it up and suck for 6-8 years. It's a never ending race to the bottom.