Bring Back the Analytics Staff
As reported by John Shea of the SF Chronicle, the A’s ranked last in the league with just 8 full-time staffers in the analytics department in 2023. The A’s used to be on the forefront of the analytics revolution, but times have changed. John Fisher has decided he doesn’t want to support that part of the organization, but it’s critical that mindset changes in order for the A’s to be successful.
According to the report, the Rays ranked first with 44 full time analytics staffers. As a self-proclaimed small market team, you’d expect Fisher to try to find hidden advantages where payroll dollars don’t seem to be a fix. If the A’s want to remain relevant, the level of investment needs to increase dramatically. It’s a dog eat dog industry, and falling behind can leave you out for an extended period of time.
The A’s need to act in this area, maybe more than anything else listed in this column. They need more bodies, they need better technology, and they need more financial investment from Fisher. There’s no way around it. If you’re not going to outspend the competition, you have to be better on the margins, and the A’s are quickly falling behind.