re: The ATL Thread: Offseason

Well said.

Saber has its place, no doubt. But too many people are using it as a replacement for the eye test when it should be used as a supplement to the eye test, not as a replacement.

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I really don't believe you watch the games,

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Lol the old “put down the calculator and watch the game!!” Classic line despite the fact that you know I post in game threads every night and I even posted a picture from game 7 of the NLCS. I go to 25+ games every year in non COVID years and try to see all the minor league teams every summer.

Most every decision the FO makes is based on data. That’s why I reference it so much. When kids are drafted by the Braves they are put through classes and seminars teaching them how to use spin rate, exit velo, etc. to improve their performance. It’s a huge part of the game now. They are not going to make decisions on how to manage a $150 million payroll based on the “eye test” very often. Yes there’s a place for the human element in roster construction, especially from a personality standpoint, but relying heavily on emotion or intuition in evaluating players at the ML level is a great way to get fired when there’s so much information available.

Ozuna was such a good buy low last year because of his underlying metrics. The hard hit rate and xOBA was off the charts and the production hadn’t matched. Giving someone 4 years, $75M or whatever based on a 60 game sample size when the production has never matched the metrics over the long haul is a very risky proposition though, especially with the unknown about the DH and the abhorrent defense.

Saying “AA should be fired” if Ozuna isn’t brought back is much more short sighted than anything I’ve posted. There are many different ways to skin a cat and when you are working with a mid market budget you have to get creative and thread the needle with big money signings. If the DH is eliminated there is virtually 0 chance Ozuna on a long term deal would be the best use of that money imo.