He’s Old School. He Doesn’t Do Analytics. And He’s Thriving In Today’s MLB

CyYoung31

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https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/12/braves-brian-snitker-better-late-daily-cover
 
Thriving in spite of that. I fe like he’s probably cost us a net of about 5 games with odd moves this year.
 
I love how they casually give credit for Albies/Acuna to Snitker.

I still like the old school way of thought in some ways but these articles are just difficult to read.
 
He's clearly no wizard, but there are times I feel he's been in the position of having to hit an inside straight with the last flop card. Injuries, some unexpectedly low performance, and some poor planning left him scrambling and that's clearly outside his preferred mode of running a baseball team. I'm not all that giddy over the deadline additions, but the real plus is that Snitker is able to put a straightforward line-up on the field every day that removes the need (or urge) for gyrations.
 
He has. It’s hilarious that they’re framing not being versed in analytics as a positive.

It is, no doubt.

That said, that's the automatic reaction from anyone who has ever asked someone that's completely analytics-driven why the projections don't always match the results. Many of them come off as know-it-alls but hem and haw and look for excuses when they don't turn out as expected - an unfortunate product of our drastically "me vs. you" society these days.

"So you're saying there's a chance..."
 
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Any analytically driven person would never expect their projections to match the results. Its a confidence factor and a range up or down.
 
All in all I don't even have to read the article to know it's drivel meant to pander to the dinosaurs who still read SI...

It's easy for us to complain about the tactical errors because they are easy to see, and it's easy to call out what the correct move was.

By all indications, Snit is very good at everything that goes into being an MLB manager other than the tactical side of things. The soft skills of managing professional athletes that we can't see in action are probably more important than these tactical moves, and there is no doubting his proficiency there.

If Snit could just stop wasting PAs in close games by letting a mediocre SP hit in exchange for 1-3 more outs from that SP, most of my complaints would evaporate. In fact, if the DH comes to the NL next year, that error is no longer a concern. Perhaps AA realizes Snit is a perfectly fine tactical manager with the DH, so go ahead and keep all those other skills in place since the universal DH is inevitable?
 
I'm confused now if you were agreeing with CY about the hilarity of the concept or if you are agreeing that it is a positive not to be versed in the math of baseball.
 
All in all I don't even have to read the article to know it's drivel meant to pander to the dinosaurs who still read SI...

It's easy for us to complain about the tactical errors because they are easy to see, and it's easy to call out what the correct move was.

By all indications, Snit is very good at everything that goes into being an MLB manager other than the tactical side of things. The soft skills of managing professional athletes that we can't see in action are probably more important than these tactical moves, and there is no doubting his proficiency there.

If Snit could just stop wasting PAs in close games by letting a mediocre SP hit in exchange for 1-3 more outs from that SP, most of my complaints would evaporate. In fact, if the DH comes to the NL next year, that error is no longer a concern. Perhaps AA realizes Snit is a perfectly fine tactical manager with the DH, so go ahead and keep all those other skills in place since the universal DH is inevitable?

You calling Cy a dinosaur??? OOOOOOOHHHHH!!!
 
All in all I don't even have to read the article to know it's drivel meant to pander to the dinosaurs who still read SI...

It's easy for us to complain about the tactical errors because they are easy to see, and it's easy to call out what the correct move was.

By all indications, Snit is very good at everything that goes into being an MLB manager other than the tactical side of things. The soft skills of managing professional athletes that we can't see in action are probably more important than these tactical moves, and there is no doubting his proficiency there.

If Snit could just stop wasting PAs in close games by letting a mediocre SP hit in exchange for 1-3 more outs from that SP, most of my complaints would evaporate. In fact, if the DH comes to the NL next year, that error is no longer a concern. Perhaps AA realizes Snit is a perfectly fine tactical manager with the DH, so go ahead and keep all those other skills in place since the universal DH is inevitable?

I think you're right about Snitker and the DH. I think Snitker is okay with the obvious moves. It's the next level down (and beyond) that gets him in trouble.
 
I actually was in my car at the end of that game and got to hear Twits post game.. I got a good laugh when they asked if this walk off was anyway more special. He said something to the effect that they are all special, but he didn't really see it happen.. he was looking at his lineup card and their lineup card and had a million and one things going through his head... i really would have loved to follow up that statement with, were any of those thoughts baseball related or just around the fact that you used a sharpie for your lineup card...
 
While he does many mystifying things I doubt his choices lead to anything like 5 games worth of difference.

The club has overachieved every year under him up to this season and hasn't quit this year so I think he brings more net good than bad into it.
 
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