Just as Big Data Baseball

I recently posted my review of Big Data Baseball, a book about the Pittsburgh Pirates’ use of analytics in their organization. In this Pioneer Press article, we find that the Minnesota Twins have embarked on the same mission. Jack Goin, the Twins Manager of Major League Administration and Baseball Research, admits they may not be as far along as Pittsburgh but it sounds like they’re close. He heads a 3-man team that does some traveling with team. Like Pittsburgh, they have tried to show their value by filling players’ tablets with heat maps. They encourage the coaching staff to come to them with questions they want answered. They’re also getting buy-in from manager Paul Molitor and players like star close Glen Perkins. So maybe Big Data gets the Twins back to the playoffs like it did the Pirates?