Cubs create job to analyze numbers (December 4, 2003)
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry named Chuck Wasserstrom as the team's baseball information manager on Wednesday, creating a position that focuses on players' statistics and salaries.... Hendry stressed the new position was not akin to Boston's hiring of statistician Bill James in its front office last year. The eyes of the Cubs' scouts will override any computer printout of numbers.
--posted by TangoTiger at 10:01 AM EDT
Posted 12:42 p.m.,
December 4, 2003
(#1) -
The Other Kurt
Isn't this more of a clutch hit, rather than a primate study?
Anyway, some funny stuff. Sounds like an internal hire, er, change of title at least. Does anyone know this guy from the Sabermetric community, or is he just some Cubs staffer?
It sounds like Hendry wants to know who the stat-heads "over-value" rather than to base any vlaue of his own on the "computer printout of numbers". That is, this probably won't change their moves much, but might reduce the chance of them getting scalped by one of the brain-trusts.
Theo (or Billy, or JP, etc.): I'll give you this 18 year old fireballing pitcher for that crappy out of shape over-aged infielder over there. What's his name again?
Hendry: Alright! Um, wait, just a sec. *hangs up*calls Wssaerstrom*
Hendry: Theo wants some crap from our minor leagues, ah (sound of pages rustleing), Jonny Nobidy is his name. What's it worth to him?
Wosserstrom: Nobidy, hmmmmmm. (sounds of beeps, clicks and whirring as a computer spits out pages and pages of meaningless numbers). Computer says Kim is roughly equal value.
Hendry: Kim, he's a closer!
Wasserston: That's what the computer says.
Hendry: Um, OK, I'll try it. *Hangs up*calls Theo back*
Hendry: Um, I think, um, that I'll do it for, um, maybe, if you think, I dunno, for Kim?
Theo: Kim, are f!@#$ nuts! I do have this great AAA closer that I can throw on top of the amazing highschool kid though.
Hendry: (giddy as a school boy) Alright! Let's do it!
:-)
Posted 1:21 p.m.,
December 4, 2003
(#2) -
pund
LOL :-D Thanks.
Posted 1:42 p.m.,
December 4, 2003
(#3) -
Ted T
I know Chuck decently... he's been the assistant PR guy for the Cubs for a while. His primary responsibility is data gathering and dissemination, and he's good at that. He doesn't do any *analysis* though. So far as I can tell, it *is* just a title change, and he's probably going to do more or less the same thing as before.
I guess it's good for an organization to realize that gathering and organizing data is an essential part of player evaluation. Of course, knowing how to *interpret* the data is kinda important too -- unfortunately, that seems to be what's going to be missing here.