Analyzing Analytics: Brian Cashman’s Defense and Alex Rodriguez’s ‘Not Working’ Verdict on Failed Yankees Strategies

It’s not players but numbers and analytics that rule the game of baseball. After a disastrous New York Yankees season, the team has committed to a drastic rebuild using numbers. General Manager Brian Cashman recently made an appearance post the GM meetings in Arizona, going on an epic rant defending the club’s strategies. Questions were fired from left and right as Cashman became tangled in a heated debate.

Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez has chimed in with his own views and the retired legend believes the current strategies aren’t cutting it. The Yanks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and faced the worst winning percentage since 1992. What’s Cashman’s take on all the criticism?

The New York Yankees’ analytics drama

After a wretched season, the backlash against the Bombers is at an all-time high. The man behind the scenes, Brian Cashman, is aware of all the blame being directed at the Yankees front office. However, the reaction of the veteran GM appeared to be a bit intense when he faced reporters in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

When a journalist questioned whether the notion that the Yankees are an “analytically-driven” organization is correct, the GM said, “No one is doing their deep dives, they’re just throwing bulls— and accusing us of being run analytically. To be said we’re guided by analytics as a driver is a lie.”

Cashman even said the Yankees have the smallest analytics department in the AL East and people are “just throwing bull****.”

Cashman was determined to defend the team’s operations and staff to the press. “We’ve got good people..I’m proud of our people, and I’m proud of our process,” said the boss. Handling the Pinstripers as GM since 1998, the 59-year-old holds a solid belief in the organization and its process. The Bombers’ front office remains confident that the club will have a better 2024, after bridging the potential gaps.

But former Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has a different opinion on the Bronx team’s strategies.

Alex Rodriguez’s verdict on Yankees struggles 

An Evan and Tiki podcast featuring Rodriguez reveals the legend’s take on the Yankees’ strategy struggle. When asked about what the team could change, A-Rod answered, “Analytics only tell you about the facts but it’s hard to forecast in the future…It just seems like whatever they’re doing, it’s not working.” The point being, making decisions solely on the data and neglecting the uncertainty of the game might give the wrong answer. 

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A-Rod has always been one for a more traditional approach than the modern focus on statistics only. Whether it’s digging into numbers, and stats, or making smart moves, the Bronx Bombers are in trouble. Let’s wait and watch whether Hal Steinbrenner’s approach of hiring a third-party company for analytics helps or hinders.

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