On the surface, Big Data Baseball is a book with an obvious focus on data and baseball. While those are two of my favorite topics, the big takeaways for me had to do with creating a data driven culture in an organization.
The book describes how the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates embraced data driven approaches such as defense shifts, catcher framing, and pitch selection to go from a .500 ballclub to a playoff team. But just having the analytics that show change can be beneficial is not enough for success; you also need the manager, coaches, and players to implement the changes.
Here are three things that the Pirates did that any organization aspiring to be data driven should do.
- Get support from the top – Clint Hurdle was the Pirates manager and was an ‘old school’ manager. But he realized that change was needed and embraced the analytics approach. His example and support was critical for success.
- Embed the analysts into the organization – The Pirates’ analysts did not spend all their time sitting behind their computer screens in some remote office space. They were brought into the clubhouse, took part in strategy meetings for each series, and even traveled with the team. Being present drove trust in the coaching staff and players.
- Leverage domain knowledge – While never having played in the major leagues, the lead analysts were lifelong baseball nerds. They also were open to ideas from the players and managers, ideas that made the analytic based strategies better.
Ultimately, the Pirates ability to implement the data driven strategies was what separated them from other organizations in the league that had access to the same information. These are important lessons for any organization on the journey to becoming more data driven.