Former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons started his managerial career when analytics were starting to come to fruition. He had two stints in Toronto and saw how the game changed, and how it continues to change today.
Gibbons spoke about the emergence of analytics in baseball and the changing relationships between front offices and managers on Audacy’s “The Bradfo Sho” podcast.
“The game has changed so much now where analytics has taken over the game. There are a lot of good things in that, there’s no doubt about it, it’s made the game better in a lot of ways. But you’ve also taken out the human element,” (5:39 in player above). “My big beef is guys are getting jobs now, the only way you’re going to get a managing job now pretty much is if you’re willing to take your marching orders from the front office. No experience required. You’re kind of the middle man.
“To me, that makes no sense. I think it’s a little bit tougher than that to manage a game,” he continued. “Basically, you’re managing people. I think that’s what baseball’s lost sight of. You’re taking the human element out of it and I think that’s wrong. I don’t think the game’s better. I don’t think anyone would say the game’s better. If you can guarantee a result, OK, that’d be one thing. But these guys aren’t robots and I think the game’s been hijacked to a certain point.”
Gibbons’ stance lines up with what two-time World Series champion and three-time Manager of the Year Joe Maddon recently said that “it’s absolutely the front office’s game”
“I’ve been saying that for a while now. They hire these guys. Why don’t you take your big guru – analytics guru – and throw a uniform on them, then nothing’s lost in translation. He goes down in the dugout and he doesn’t have to worry about well that guy misinterpreted what we were saying or something like that. Maybe that’s the solution,” Gibbons said. “Obviously, they couldn’t get away with that. They know that would backfire, but why wouldn’t you though?”
Gibbons started his managing career in Toronto in 2004. Baseball analytics were just starting to ramp up with “Moneyball” in Oakland. J.P. Ricciardi came from Oakland and was Gibbons’ first general manager.
“J.P.’s a really smart baseball guy and he knows how to balance things,” Gibbons said. “He’s the first guy I worked for and he had me run the game the way I felt best because that’s what he hired me for. If he didn’t like the results he basically, he’s gonna fire me, which ended up happening. But he didn’t micromanage at all. We talked about strategies, his thinking, my thinking, and all that, but he said run the game, that’s why I hired you.”
Gibbons was fired during the 2008 season but was re-hired in Toronto in November of 2012. That was his last MLB job as he managed the Blue Jays from 2013 to 2018
“After I left and came back, Alex Anthopoulos, who’s in Atlanta now, Alex was J.P.’s assistant my first go around there. He was coming along,” he said. “Young guy, very smart guy. Came along in the beginning of analytics and is really into that but he’s smart enough to know that the human element matters, and he let me do my thing, too.”
But Gibbons doesn’t think many teams are run the same way nowadays.
“I don’t know how many guys are out there managing now that aren’t 100% on board with the front offices.”
Related
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram