Since Billy Beane revolutionized the game of baseball with sabermetrics and “moneyball” thinking, the role of managers in making day-to-day decisions about lineups and pitching selections has changed.
We have seen analytically-minded teams, such as the Yankees, fire one manager, Joe Girardi, in order to hire another, Aaron Boone, in order to create a more direct line from the the front office to the dugout in how to deploy team personnel.
Since the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations, bringing his small market model to a big market franchise, fans have often wondered if his influence in using analytics to make decisions extends to the Dodgers clubhouse.