This week, the Yankees gained a wealth of scouting knowledge to Brian Cashman’s front office with the additions of Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya.
However, the general manager refuted the concept that the two past general managers were hired due to an imbalance between analytics and professional scouting in Yankees operations.
Cashman stated through phone on Thursday, ‘I believe we are balanced’ “I believe the picture of what occurs behind these walls is false. I believe analytic haters attempt to portray information wrongly. I believe that our analytics section is one of the best in the sports sector. And we have one of baseball’s largest professional scouting departments. The task is to integrate performance science, player development, professional scouting, and analytics, which are all separate puzzle pieces. And no portion is significantly larger than the other.”
Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner acknowledged the need to review the baseball operations department earlier in the offseason.
“This was only an opportunity to get two individuals that I believe will be beneficial to us, and we’re happy about them, but it does not indicate any imbalance. I believe there is a balance, but there is a false narrative that it does not, and I am unable to refute that.”
Minaya, for his part, stated that he believes the human element of the game has receded into the background of the sport as a whole. He and Sabean bring a substantial amount of this to the Yankees.
Cashman described Minaya as “an incredible people person.” He is an excellent scout, and his local and international connections are extensive.
Cashman said of Sabean, one of his early teachers in the Yankees organization, “He is, first and foremost, one of the best scouts I’ve ever known.” Cashman noted that, like Minaya, Sabean has been involved in practically every area of the game at various points throughout his career.
Cashman stated, “My job is to gather and filter all information because information is the key to the kingdom in any industry.” We will continue to conduct business as usual, now with two extra voices, since I believe these men are a great addition to our already formidable team.
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