LOS ANGELES – For a team seen as the ultimate in analytics-driven decision-making, it bordered on blasphemy.
“I break from analytics every single night,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets.
He cited recent examples involving Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson when each was left in to bat against like-handed pitchers rather than pinch-hit for as the numbers would have suggested.
“There’s things that I do every night that go against analytics.”
Roberts implied that some of those decisions involve his bullpen. Over the weekend in Toronto, he talked about relying on constant evaluation and conversations with his relievers as much – if not more – than any data he’s provided from the front office.