Paying Lip Service To Moneyball

This past Winter, the New York Mets made a big deal of hiring an expert in Sabermetrics, but I have to wonder if it's going to make a difference at all when it comes to the team's success after reading Lee Jenkins' piece about Bill Livesey and Al Goldis, the team's two new "super scouts":

Although the Mets use statistical analysis, Goldis and Livesey also evaluate players the old-fashioned way: they watch them. During a typical bullpen session, Goldis and Livesey break down a pitcher's movement in his lower body and his core, the area from his knees to his chest. They examine the position of his head and his hands. They analyze the release point and the follow-through.

In the batting cage, they notice a hitter's balance, footwork and head position. They cite how he holds the bat, tracks the ball and turns into his swing. Meanwhile, they hardly write down a word, taking only mental notes.

"I'm always looking at the proficiency of human movement," Goldis said. "There are different segments. You're looking at how guys become proficient at controlling themselves. I know Bill looks at it the same way."

Something tells me I'm not the only Mets fan with a passing familiarity with Sabermetrics to be shaking my head in disbelief. One of the points made in Moneyball by Michael Lewis was how established scouts like Livesey and Goldis put far too much faith in what their eyes told them, and not enough attention to what the stats told them.

Last week in another post, I said that it was one thing to hire somebody to do statistical analysis, but it was quite another to change the culture of your organization. In light of this story, I'm afraid the Mets are merely paying lip service to the lessons learned in Moneyball, a mistake they're going to pay for, for years to come.

Eric 12:01 AM

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