EP 363 Can Baseball’s New School and Old School Co-Exist?
Today’s Major League Baseball lives and dies by its ‘new school’ numbers. Over the last few decades, newly established statistics and on-field measurable have become so influential that they have infiltrated front offices, baseball operations departments, player development and scouting and have significantly changed the game’s landscape. These measures now rely less and less on baseball experience and wisdom established riding the minor league buses from Altoona to Harrisburg. The power dynamic has changed. Stats and algorithms are now king. And Bill Ripken, former major league infielder and Emmy Award winning MLB Network analyst is none too happy about it. He’s also a member of the legendary baseball family, with his father Cal Ripken, Sr. the designer of the Ripken Way of baseball and his brother, Cal Ripken, Jr. the Hall of Fame player for the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken discusses with Rifkin how saber metrics and moneyball got a foothold in the big leagues and what’s worth understanding about it and what has little value from an old school standpoint. He reminds us that it’s still the same old game with some measures and approaches that are timeless and needed to be honored and preserved.
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