The 2023 Major League Baseball playoffs have been super entertaining from a neutral point of view. There have been unexpected upsets and great underdog performances. There appears to be one common denominator among all the remaining teams. All the squads have both smart managers and hungry players. As the New York Yankees come off a disappointing season, what can they learn from these remaining playoff teams? Are the managerial decisions made based on data or based on what is observed during games? These are critical questions that could help serve the Yankees in their conquest for a 28th World Series title.
What the Yankees Can Learn from the 2023 Playoffs
Analytics
Prior to the start of the playoffs, many may have chosen the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros as World Series favorites. This would have been seen as a safe bet, considering the Astros were the reigning World Champions and the Braves were the most dominant team in 2023. However, the Braves were simply outplayed and outclassed by the Philadelphia Phillies in a best-of-5. While the Astros lead the ALCS, it hasn’t been a smooth ride there. Currently, the Astros are two losses away from elimination against the rival Texas Rangers. However, they now have an edge with a 3-2 series lead.
An interesting point has been raised on how Rangers manager Bruce Bochy approaches games. He often manages based on the “eye test” rather than analytics. as was the case with allowing Jordan Montgomery to throw into the sixth inning in Game 1. It was rare for Montgomery to throw into the sixth as a Yankee. The team simply did not have the confidence he could go three times through an order. It is even more ironic now, as the Yankees have been looking for an Astros killer in the rotation for years. Montgomery was that player and the Yankees never found out because of the lack of belief in his abilities.
The #Yankees traded Jordan Montgomery because they didn’t think he could crack their postseason rotation. Here’s what he just did vs. the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS:
6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 16, 2023
So now the Yankees’ front office should be wondering: have they over-managed their roster? Along with the Montgomery case, hitting coach Sean Casey told players to get back to basics and ignore the front office’s mandates. In some cases, that bore immediate improvements, as traditionally good hitters like Gleyber Torres and D.J. Lemahieu came back to life.
An analytics-heavy approach hasn’t just hurt the Yankees, but other teams as well. The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks when their regular season approach didn’t carry into October.
Desire in the Playoffs
It is hard to quantify how much desire plays into a game, but it cannot be understated. For example, the Atlanta Braves should have been in the NLCS for the last two years based on raw talent. However, they fell to a hot Phillies team both times. An important reason they lost those two series is the majority of Atlanta’s big bats, such as Ronald Acuna Jr., went quiet when the playoffs came around. This has also been the case with the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw over the years. When your big players aren’t performing on the biggest stage, it becomes hard to achieve the end goal of a championship. It seems as if these juggernaut teams expect to win in October, but don’t appear to play to win. Of course, everyone really is playing to win, but that critical edge is sometimes lacking.
A Healthy Edge
A good example of what playoff teams need is the edge Bryce Harper plays with. You can never question his commitment, as he is always playing with maximum effort. On the other hand, you can question Acuna Jr.’s effort at times, as in the past he has not run out ground balls. It may not seem like much at first glance, but when one thinks about it, he hasn’t played with the same intensity as Harper in the postseason. Harper’s mentality is that of a gamer who gives his all in every aspect of the game, including yelling at umpires when necessary. He may seem too intense, but this can be what separates a champion from a runner-up.
How does this relate back to the Yankees? Well, last year multiple players made excuses as to why they did not beat the Houston Astros. Luis Severino said the open roof in Houston was why he struggled with the long ball. Kyle Higashioka said it was impossible for Yuli Gurriel to hit an up-and-in fastball for a home run when he was swinging out front. What the players should have done was figure out why they got beat, adjusted, and came back stronger in the next game.
Lessons to be Learned
The Yankees can learn from this year’s playoffs that baseball players are human beings and not robots. The front office needs to adjust and listen to player input over what the analytics department is saying. Ultimately, it’s the players who have to perform in the game so they should have the final say. It must be difficult for Yankee fans to watch yet another player, (in this case Montgomery) leave the organization and have success without overreliance on analytics. The team should take notes of what’s working for the remaining playoff teams. Hopefully, they will try to incorporate some of those strategies in the future.
Photo Credit: © Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
