Longtime MLB coach and manager Joe Maddon has become a bit of a polarizing figure for his recent opinions on analytics.
Maddon has spent over 40 years working in baseball in nearly every facet of the game. From a scout to a minor league coach, to a World Series-winning manager with the Chicago Cubs. He’s seen a lot throughout his years and isn’t a fan of the way the game has been trending. Maddon isn’t against analytics, but rather how they’re being used.
Maddon joined the Audacy Original Podcast “The Bradfo Sho” and talked about how analytics are infiltrating the clubhouse and making every team the same.
“I want (analytics) in the game. No question, 100%,” It’s very helpful in so many variety of different ways,” Maddon said (14:17 in player above). “But it’s getting to the point now where it’s infiltrating the clubhouse so much and there’s so much for players to hold onto.”
Getting an upper hand using statistics isn’t anything new in baseball or across all sports. However, Maddon believes that baseball has taken it a bit too far and that we’re seeing cookie-cutter styles across the board.
“Everybody’s really becoming the same. It’s the same product whatever city you might be living in,” Maddon said. “At one point the Cubs did have an identity. The White Sox were the running White Sox back in the day. The Yankees still may be the bombers. The Dodgers were always known for their pitching. The Cardinals had speed.
“Now everybody wants to play the same game. And that’s where it’s become a little bit overbearing and the game’s become boring,” he continued. “Everyone wants the same game with the three true outcomes, etc.”
With the growing number of analytics departments across Major League Baseball, teams are tending to conform to the same strategies and styles. That’s taking away some of the uniqueness of the game for certain teams as they’re all playing the same way.
“Everything is becoming the same,” Maddon said. “Everybody’s got the same sheet of music.”
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