As we begin to smell the sweet scent of freshly cut green grass and feel the warmth of spring in the air, it’s time for us to sit back and enjoy one of America’s favorite pastimes – the sport of baseball.
Through the past three weeks that kicked off regular season Major League Baseball play, fans everywhere rushed to their nearest ballpark eager and excited as team records were zeroed out, which makes all teams launch their season on a “level” playing field. Fans everywhere feel the fresh excitement as they watch the first few games with high hopes for the season and the belief that the World Series Title could be within reach.
However, as the season progresses and teams rack up those heart pounding wins or heartbreaking losses, hopes are heightened or begin to spiral as teams show their true colors and the competition heats up.
So as analysts begin making their predictions and get a taste of the newly formed rosters, the factors influencing the game start to surface and create conversations. For the 2014 season, the conversations are a bit different as teams are facing new battles with a controversy over doubts in the role of managers and continued focus the importance of implementing technology into the game.
Do managers matter?
Prior to the season kicking off, questions about the role of managers made headlines. Thanks to recent research and statistical analysis from Neil Payne of FiveThirtyEight, it was reported that most managers have little affect on the outcome of games or the season.
Payne stated, “They [managers] don’t make them [the team] play better or worse than the established baselines.” Payne went on to explain that the vast majority of managers are responsible for between two losses and two wins each season. This number is significantly lower that the number of games said to be affected by a specific stand out player such as baseball legends, Babe Ruth or Willie Mays, who were responsible for 11 or more wins per year at their peak.
But, if you ask any baseball fan, they will say that there have been plenty of good managers who have lead teams to greatness. In reference to the role of managers, Manny Acta, who is now an ESPN Baseball Analyst stated, “It’s not only managing inning-by-inning, it’s what you do before and after the game.”
Contrary to the research study (which was just one opinion), great managers act as coaches and can be responsible for mentally and physically preparing players for the game. Managers also assist with decision-making during the game by instructing players on how to take pitches, and more importantly, managers are responsible for pitching changes. These strategic moves require more than just making game time decisions, but also knowing players, understanding behaviors, reading the competition, and being able to push players to their limits, but not beyond.
So do managers matter? It depends on who you ask.
Does technology matter?
This year’s opening day introduced advancements in baseball’s expanding instant replay capability. The goal of this technology is to avoid discrepancies in calls and lessen the instances of arguments between managers and the umpires, which can get heated and disrupt the game (or on the flipside, fire up their players just as Jim Fergosi did many times during his tenure with the Phillies).
Another important feature of baseball technology is tracking balls and strikes. After examining more than 800,000 MLB pitches in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, PITCHf/x data found that umpires call about 14 percent of all pitches incorrectly. It’s understandable that these calls are difficult to make within a split second of the play since the umpires are human, but this technology will help control variables such as game situation, pitcher control, stadium, umpire, batter, and catcher and hopefully lead to more accurate calls.
So, does technology matter? It’s definitely penetrating the game, but how much is still to be determined as the MLB, individuals teams and players voice their opinions on what adds to the game and what may take away.
via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1i3nwBu
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