Baseball off paper

Going into this baseball season, more than any before, Sabermetrics were the hot topic of conversation. New technology exists that allows teams to analyze so many different facets of the game that nothing is left up to chance. From pitch location, hitting directional splits, and defensive positioning catered to each batter, men with laptops have just as much sway in the clubhouse as do men with gloves and bats. The Houston Astros made a big leap in this area of the game, hiring a former rocket scientist to serve as “Director of Decision Sciences.” This position basically requires the analysis of statistics and trending geometrics to determine who should be playing different positions at any given time. Two players in particular this season came up early that were about to be hurt by their statistical trends: Derek Jeter and David Wright. Both appeared to be downward tracking in their careers, Jeter because of age and Wright because he simply plateaued too early, and was preparing for a downturn in his career numbers. Well into the second month of the season, baseball scientists are looking pretty dumb. Jeter is leading a struggling Yankees team and hitting for the third best average in the American League, while Wright is leading the batting race, sitting right at around .400. What is it, then, that allowed to two New York baseball team leaders to make such big numbers in the first quarter of the season when expectations were so low? No matter how accurate the statistics are, there is one thing that can never be truly quantified on the diamond, and that is heart. These two, and plenty of others, play with more heart than their earlier statistics may show, and don’t’ seem to mind having a deck seemingly stacked against them. If baseball was simply based on statistics, where the more likely event always occurred and no mystifying acts of heroism occurred, fans would most definitely lose interest, and quickly. It isn’t in the ability to predict what will occur that makes baseball so moving. It is the surprise, the ache of rooting for your team, the elation at a home run, the disgust at a loss, and the emotions that come with running as hard, pitching as fast, and simply playing as enthusiastically as is possible. It isn’t about telling me how well they are going to do, but in actually seeing it happen that makes the game of baseball so thrilling. So Sabermetrics can take a backseat to pure, unadulterated play.