Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in "Moneyball," a 2011 film based on Michael Lewis' no fiction best-seller about baseball analytics. (Sony Pictures photo)
In the end, trades and acquisitions and decisions during baseball games can come down to gut feelings. So the Detroit Tigers are looking for any way to improve decision-making.
The team will invest more in advanced analytics -- sabermetrics -- to make better player acquisition, development and spending decisions instead of just writing enormous checks for free agent stars, Bill Shea writes in Crain's Detroit Business:
While specifics of how much additional staff will be added haven't been revealed, it's known that the bolstered analytics staff also will be used to help manager Brad Ausmus improve game planning — something that potentially could quell the drumbeat of criticism of his lineups and in-game decisions.
