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SF Giants reportedly have one of the smaller analytics departments in baseball

Not great!
ByJeff Young
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Jun 1, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the ledge of the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Jun 1, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the ledge of the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The size of the front office often correlates to success on the baseball field. That does not bode well for the SF Giants, as they reportedly have one of the smaller analytics departments in baseball, per Zack Scott of Four Rings Consulting.

The size of the analytics department could be a bit fluid, as it is based on public media guides. How a front office internally views whether someone is in analytics, player development, or some other capacity may differ from this.

Nonetheless, the Giants have 21 folks in their analytics department. That headcount is in the bottom third of baseball, and well below the league average of 29.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have some of the larger analytics departments. This should come as no surprise, as both organizations are viewed as some of the most forward-thinking teams in baseball, and they will be facing off against each other in the World Series.

SF Giants have shifted back to what they can see, compared to what can be measured

It will be a clash of small-market teams. While they cannot compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Mets in spending, they do invest in the organization in a different way.

The Brewers and Rays invest in the front office, with the hopes of finding a competitive edge. They cannot do what everyone else is doing in baseball, so they have to employ a unique strategy and execute that strategy better than every other team.

On offense, the Brewers grind out at-bats and reach base at a high rate. On the other hand, the Rays put the ball in play more than any other team. These are not the most analytically inclined traits, but they go against the grain compared to what a lot of other teams are doing. Plus, both organizations are viewed as some of the best in pitching development and acquisition.

Since Buster Posey has taken over as Giants team president of baseball operations, there has been a shift back toward a more traditional approach to baseball. That is, they rely on what they can see, rather than what they can measure.

No team is fully adverse to analytics. To some degree, the Giants embrace it, but the size of their analytics departments suggests that it is not as big of an emphasis as it is for other oragnizations.

They spent more per win than the vast majority of baseball teams. If they want to curb that trend, they may want to increase the size of their analytics departments to try and gain a unique edge.

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