MLB: Innovative Analytics Conclude Traditional Plays to Win

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This season, the Tampa Bay Rays have proven how a move from MLB’s flannel days works with ease in a modern-day, analytical game.

Under the tent of Teflon and upon plastic green grass, some of the oldest, time-tested strategic baseball line up maneuvers are being used with precision by the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s an age-old traditional MLB strategy that our great-grandparents and grandparents saw under blue sky and upon dirt and grass infields.

What is occurring is the fundamental confrontation of MLB that is the battle between the Pitcher and Batter. Winning this confrontation is the central focus of baseball. When the batter wins it’s a bat-flipping walk-off good time, when the pitcher wins there is no joy in Mudville as the mighty Casey has struck out.

It’s a generations-old strategic managerial decision from the Age of Flannel Uniforms brought back by cutting edge, innovative statistical analysis.

(Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) /

Innovative Analytics Conclude Traditional Plays to Win MLB Games

So far, the Tampa Bay Rays have done ‘the double switch’ three times the past two seasons: on June 26, 2018, vs the Nationals in St Pete, and twice this season: April 7th vs the Giants in SF, and again on July 24th vs the Red Sox in St Pete.

In all three instances, the Rays won the game.

The key move is replacing the pitcher with another pitcher and then sending the pitcher to a fielding position, usually first base, only for one batter and then returning the pitcher to the mound and then bringing in a replacement fielder. All told it’s a manager using his lineup to the fullest.

By moving pitchers to fielding positions and fielders creates the ideal pitcher-batter matchup for the Rays.

This play is now an anachronistic move mainly due to two major factors: the AL employing the Designated Hitter thus freeing pitchers from batting, and the increased specialization of players, with the typical lineup filled with players not trained or expert in playing multiple positions.

Moreover, with youth leagues and the NCAA using the DH, most players have never seen or participated in this type of play during their developmental years.

MLB history informs us that this age-old baseball strategic play sometimes does not work. Interestingly the loser, way back when was the Original Boston Red Sox, then known as the “Red Stockings.” (To make matters more muddled today we call this team the Atlanta Braves.) The game occurred on July 26, 1873, 146 years earlier minus two days. For the Bostonians that day they did the double switch employed by now Hall of Famer George Wright. It did not work as Wright came into pitch and out of position players made a series of errors, all told the Bostons gave up six more runs resulting in a 17-14 Baltimore victory.

Yet more often it does work, especially when the fielder turned pitcher is none other than Babe Ruth. Two such reported examples are in October 1, 1920, when the Yankees were still playing in the Polo Grounds vs the A’s. and the NJ state semi-pro championship held on October 27, 1929, when the Babe came in from Right field to pour cold water on the oppositions attempts to rally. The October game box score notes the Babe played LF-1B-P, had an RBI Stolen Base and as a pitcher gave up a HR, HBP, and walked three. All told he pitched four innings in relief and got the win.[i] All told the Babe was 5-0 as a relief fireman for the Yanks.[ii]

Innovative Analytics Conclude Traditional Plays to Win MLB Games

In the NJ Semi-pro championship game, also illustrates one of the few mistakes the Babe and his agent Christy Walsh made. The Babe agreed to play for South Orange at 100 dollars per home run while they did not request any compensation for pitching. (one of the greater ironies of that time is the South Orange NJ team was outfitted with old MLB Uniforms from then South Orange residents and owners of the rival NY Giants, the Stoneham family.)

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With the game and thus the state title on the line the Babe came in in front of an estimated crowd of 12,000 and pitched South Orange out of a jam with a strikeout in the fifth inning,[iii] He returned to his fielding position to finish the game the next inning. The Town of South Orange NJ actually paid the Babe 100 dollars for hitting a third-inning home run, noted for traveling some 600 feet, while his pitching services were free of charge.

The tree that the Babe’s ball flew over is still there for those who wish to measure that long-ago colossal swat. For the record, South Orange won the game 7-6, although other sources note the final score was 14-6.[iv] which was welcome revenge from an earlier season 1-11 beatdown by the New Brunswick team.

And not to forget Larrupin’ Lou, one of his home runs was a violation of the infamous 1791 Pittsfield, Ma baseball playing rule.[v] The Iron Horse’s mighty home run flew out of the field, over three tracked elevated railroad bounced off the pavement and into the front parlor breaking the window.

Thus, we can thank the Rays for returning to the baseball strategy the pitcher fielding double switch, a play not seen for a few baseball generations. It’s a great play when the team has a very good understanding of the fundamental analytics of the batter’s tendencies what who in their bullpen can take advantage of this weakness.

It’s a great way to play hardball by employing all the underused strategies. MLB is more than home runs and strikeouts, it’s a team game and that it takes a team to win the game.

And in today’s game with certain players such as the Angles, Shohei Ohtani who both pitch and hit can be best utilized to pitch in the pinch while keeping his bat in the lineup.

The Rays have pointed the way to reviving this old strategy to help the team win. More teams should attempt to use the double switch move.

Indeed, other multi-talented players who practice such scenarios, especially in spring training, would be key players in successfully pulling off the double position switch when the game is on the line.

And other teams armed with advanced analytics and scenarios should be more willing to do the double switch with the pitcher staying in the game at a position for one or two at-bats. With current baseball being played with a home run and strikeout as common outcomes, this strategy is underused.

It appears that a good approach to challenge the pitcher as an infielder, would be to bunt, but the bunt has been all but eliminated in the modern game. Thus, the defensive position switch of a pitcher to first base is a safe move especially if it’s a lefty.

In doing the pitcher infielder double switch, we will get to see baseball as it was once played in the days of wool flannel, high socks, and baggy pants. Who knew that advanced and innovative baseball analytics would bolster the return of one the most traditional of managerial maneuvers?

[i] Babe vs the A’s https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA192110012.shtml

[ii] https://tht.fangraphs.com/babe-ruth-the-new-york-pitcher/

[iii] http://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearly/yr1929a.shtml

[iv] See the Central New Jersey Home News of October 28, 1929. A longer version of this game is also available in the 2010 New York Yankees Magazine. Mike Gazella who played on the Yankees from 1923 to 1928 as a part-time player was a regular for South Orange Semi-pro team. He helped convince the Babe and Lou to give the South Orange team a hand. A quick review of the boxscore numerous players on both teams had either minor league or Major League experience.

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[v] https://sabr.org/latest/pittsfield-baseball-bylaw-1791-what-it-means The law was enacted to keep baseballers from breaking the expensive new windows of the towns newest meeting house by prohibiting baseball from being played on the village green near this edifice.

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