The one buzz word that is sure to trigger SF Giants fans in search for manager

As the SF Giants search for a new manager, one word is going to be bandied about: analytics. This buzz word is very polarizing amongst Giants fans so it will be interesting to see what Buster Posey’s approach will be on this front.

When Gabe Kapler was hired as manager and paired with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, analytics and data were king in San Francisco. Zaidi was at the forefront of front offices emphasizing analytics and playing the numbers. He came from the Billy Beane school of thought in Oakland and took it with him to the Los Angeles Dodgers and eventually to San Francisco. 

The word 'analytics' is sure to rile up SF Giants fans

"Analytics" is a bit of a nebulous term that means different things to different people. Proponents would probably say that it is simply the practice of using data to your advantage to make informed decisions based on concrete evidence while detractors might say it is a strict adherence to data and numbers at the expense of feel, using your gut, and trusting your eyes.

Zaidi was not afraid to use openers or employ platoons and certainly placed a high emphasis on guys with a high on base percentage at the expense of speed or defensive ability. All things one would expect from the Moneyball protege who placed a high premium on data and sabermetrics.

One cannot argue that, at its best, this approach produced incredible results. The 107-game win season was a miracle and luck definitely played a factor, but Zaidi and his approach definitely deserve some credit for producing such an amazing season.

However, mediocrity ensued which showed that the approach has its limits. Zaidi, nor any executive, could keep on finding diamonds in the rough or identify just the right veteran who the team could squeeze the last little bit of production out of. It’s just not sustainable especially when going up against juggernauts like the Dodgers who will burn money in the name of winning.

The firing of Kapler and Zaidi followed by replacing them with Bob Melvin and Buster Posey seemed to be a pretty clear repudiation of the analytics-driven approach. 

Now, with the dismissal of Melvin the Giants can go in a few different directions. Posey got a taste of the more old-school approach under manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean. He also got a taste of the Kapler-Zaidi approach. He probably understands that in today’s game, certain decisions should be informed by the numbers and advanced statistics. At the very least, that sort of information should be made available to players and coaches who want it.

Posey has not drawn any sort of hard line in the sand on analytics. When asked about it by Giants reporter Alex Pavlovic he said it was mainly dependent on coaching staff. 

The Giants have been connected to potential candidates who could be more analytics minded and of the new school like Craig Albernaz who was on Gabe Kapler’s staff and is currently Stephen Vogt’s right-hand man in Cleveland. Then there are other candidates whose views on analytics and data are unknown but probably lean more in the “trust your gut” direction.

Analytics is one of those buzz words that means different things to different people. After the pendulum swing from the analytics-obsessed Kapler to the more old-school Melvin, perhaps Posey will try to bridge that divide as someone who has experienced and had success under both approaches. 

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