JUPITER, Fla. • With so much data available to baseball managers — analytical acronyms to dissect and project seemingly every situation — are gut feelings obsolete?
“Noooooo,” said Mike Shildt, who will manage his Cardinals on Saturday in their first spring training game of 2019. “They’re just not. Here’s the deal. The data is a tool to help support your ability to make a decision.”
In yesteryear, there was almost a storybook lore to the wise ol’ skipper. He’d just have a feeling to pinch hit in a certain situation or, say, his instincts would tell him to ride out the starting pitcher or yank a guy.