Theo Epstein on Pardon My Take (Orioles related)

[JohnD]

Was listening to that interview today and to be honest there are some pretty interesting things worth posting here.

First the bad news, and least interesting (and No Duh moment) part related to the Orioles, where he mentioned the Arrieta/Strop for Feldman deal as the most lopsided he's ever made.  Called Strop a throw-in, and said Arrieta has exceeded what they expected from him.

More interestingly they asked him about market inefficiencies, and how the guys he picked up for the Red Sox run in 2004 were all cheap and undervalued.  Now everyone has stats guys in the front office, when back then only a few teams did.  So now perhaps the undervalued trait teams should pay closer to attention to is "makeup" and the so-called intangibles some guys are lauded for.  He used Kyle Hendricks as an example of that, noting he was picked up by the Cubs in a trade where all other things being equal, their scouts praised the heck out of the attitude and work ethic of Hendricks versus the other players available.  The idea was that if they were going to take a flyer on anyone, do it on the guy you can count on to do his absolute best and bring the right attitude.

It's from there that I started thinking about the Orioles right away.  We've talked about ad nauseum (as have lots of others around the game) about the flaws of this team.  But the leaders include guys like Cap10 America Adam Jones, Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, and JJ Hardy, who I think we all agree have great work ethics.  Joey Rickard and Caleb Joseph have less experience, but seem to work hard and say all the right things.  Donnie Hart is on that same sort of path.  Prior to that, Matt Wieters would be in the same group.

So that's not to say that this team is destined for World Series glory, or that all of that doesn't cover up other flaws.  But the example set by Buck and players in leadership roles seems to be overlooked by some people pretty easily (in part because you can't really measure it) and so even in spite of all their success, it makes you wonder if the O's front office was ahead of the game in this regard and are correct in seemingly putting more stock in something that other teams don't always do. 

[25 Nuggets]

So Epstein is saying a good attitude is the new market inefficiency?  Interesting.

And oh yeah, it's been a big part of Buck's plan to turn around the team.  And apparently, it's worked out.

[VeveJones007]

Given the nature of a baseball season, the sport is particularly conducive to "grinding" and playing hard all the time. It may not make a difference in a given game or week, but the incremental advantage from running out ground balls and hitting the cutoff man adds up over the course of a season. Since Buck came on board, this has been the new "Oriole Way" and a big reason why they have overperformed vs projections.

[Tryptamine]

While it's true that Theo has instilled a strong work ethic and discipline that is drilled into players the moment they the minor leagues,each new player is given a huge binder called "The Cub Way", they're still doing some rather interesting things as far as market efficiency goes. I don't think any other team is currently doing this, but the Cub are actually using software that maps a player's brain as pitches are thrown to them. It helps them see who can identify spin and velocity as early as possible.

[VeveJones007]

34 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

While it's true that Theo has instilled a strong work ethic and discipline that is drilled into players the moment they the minor leagues,each new player is given a huge binder called "The Cub Way", they're still doing some rather interesting things as far as market efficiency goes. I don't think any other team is currently doing this, but the Cub are actually using software that maps a player's brain as pitches are thrown to them. It helps them see who can identify spin and velocity as early as possible.

They are also using software to track pitchers' deliveries to try and identify when pitchers are at risk for injury. It's a smart organization with nearly unlimited resources.

[Tryptamine]

1 minute ago, VeveJones007 said:

They are also using software to track pitchers' deliveries to try and identify when pitchers are at risk for injury. It's a smart organization with nearly unlimited resources.

Just wait until 2019 when their current TV deal ends and they can open their own station.

[JohnD]

10 hours ago, 25 Nuggets said:

So Epstein is saying a good attitude is the new market inefficiency?  Interesting.

 

I don't think it's that so much as realizing that in a time everyone measures everything, there are some things that can't be measured.  That some guys do rise to the moment better than others, or will figure out how to get an extra squeeze out of their talent and ability.

he isn't looking for a roster full of Ecksteins, but concedes character needs to be taken into account at a time people are now focusing only on what can be measured.

it won't revolutionize the game the way Moneyball did, but he admits it matters and you have to see players as people too, not just items on a spreadsheet.

[Frobby]

16 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

While it's true that Theo has instilled a strong work ethic and discipline that is drilled into players the moment they the minor leagues,each new player is given a huge binder called "The Cub Way", they're still doing some rather interesting things as far as market efficiency goes. I don't think any other team is currently doing this, but the Cub are actually using software that maps a player's brain as pitches are thrown to them. It helps them see who can identify spin and velocity as early as possible.

If you're not joking (and I think probably you are), I need a link to a source about this.   How in the world can they be mapping players brains while they're playing?    Is Wrigley a giant MRI machine?   Did they implant chips in the players' brains?   I'm pretty sure that's against union rules!

[VeveJones007]

19 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

Just wait until 2019 when their current TV deal ends and they can open their own station.

I'm not sure that's the smartest long-term strategy given trends in cable TV. I'd trust Theo and Ricketts to make the right call, though.

[Tryptamine]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

If you're not joking (and I think probably you are), I need a link to a source about this.   How in the world can they be mapping players brains while they're playing?    Is Wrigley a giant MRI machine?   Did they implant chips in the players' brains?   I'm pretty sure that's against union rules!

Not a joke at all

http://www.bleachernation.com/2017/01/26/is-neuroscience-baseballs-next-market-inefficiency-if-so-the-cubs-are-in-a-good-spot/

Quote

 

So, what’s on the horizon for Epstein and the Cubs? Neuroscience, of course.

“Years ago with the Red Sox, we met these neuroscientists who were interested in what the brains of really great hitters look like and if they could learn anything from them,” Epstein explained. “We developed a partnership with them where we gave access to all of our professional players from David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, down through the lowest levels of the minor leagues, where they would test these players on pretty simple baseball simulations on a computer. In exchange, we got some exclusivity to whatever insights they were able to derive from this testing.”

And what was the result?

“After many years they were able to develop some tests that properly and accurately assessed the different neuropathways that a great hitter might have,” Epstein explained. “These tests would identify the David Ortizes and Dustin Pedroias and rate them higher than some of the lesser hitters and certainly higher than any layman.”

Mind. Blown.

 

 

[Cumberbundy]

He will regret that statement when Feldman returns for the Seinfeld reunion. All of these years later it's hard to believe a human with eyeballs saw that offer and said give me Feldman. Thank you for that reminder, fortunately Miley CyOs will wash away my sorrows in a couple hours. 

[Moose Milligan]

It pisses me off that the Orioles can't do anything like this.  Shave some off some of that salary you gave to Chris Davis and invest it into some technology like this.  

Maybe they do and we just haven't heard about it but I've always felt that the Orioles aren't a forward thinking franchise.