Dark side of analytics facing 2020 Phillies

If the Phillies have a numerical flaw for a winning formula, can they discover the missing ingredients in 2019’s ashes, or will general manager Matt Klentak realize some old-school baseball still has a place in the Show?

Three-sided coin:   

In ’19, the Philadelphia Phillies faithful welcomed back Charlie Manuel as an interim hitting coach to boost the offense. And he provided an improvement despite a slumping cleanup man. But while many fans had given up by then, others were optimistic their dugout nemeses would not escape a firing for failures from day one.

"IN OTHER WORDS: “A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist doesn’t see the clouds at all – he’s walking on them.” – Leonard Louis Levinson"

Regarding the playoffs, many top franchises rely heavily –not exclusively– on analytics, and recent World Series opponents know how to incorporate stats and bats for a winning combination. However, the Fightins were not in the vanguard as those clubs learned from their defeat-absorbing mistakes. Surprised?

Armed with heat maps, spray charts, launch angles, exit velocities, and other numerical mountains, dismissed coach John Mallee left behind more questions than answers. So, Manuel returned on a temporary basis to salvage an iceberg-crashed offense.

Relying mostly on statistics will only point a pitching coach in the right direction, but the rest of the destination is not having the numbers do your job. Therefore, the map only shows the route, but negotiating the detours is done between the ears.

An organization usually terminates the skipper, and his replacement hires his own staff. Ergo, the front office wasn’t in complete agreement on Gabe Kapler’s fate because John Middleton, the managing partner, had his doubts.

According to Manuel when he was at the helm, baseball is 40 percent luck. So, pennant-winning skippers must weigh each opportunity with old-fashioned baseball remedies and situational hitting if it produces the desired outcome. But walks and three-run homers alone are not the best strategy for victory.

While traditional baseball fans dislike analytics and any management personnel who espouse it, it is 90 percent successful. Every pitch and every defensive alignment for each batter is on the defenders’ cards, but pointing out the unsuccessful 10 percent more often than the feasible majority creates the wrong impression.