Consensus of baseball writers and fans: a modern manager needs
(1) Analytics
(2) Communications with the press, and, of course, general manager and owners
(3) Support for and from the players, especially young players
Question:
(1) How does analytics help a manager? A GM, sure, but does a manager need analytics to make in-game decisions, or to decide which slumping player will, soon, break out? Would analytics have helped Dusty Baker decide whether to start Michael A. Taylor and Brian Goodwin, and how long to stick with them? Girardi continued to play Aaron Judge after the All-Star game, chose among some up-and-down starting pitchers, picked the spots to use the grumpy Dellin Betances. Where would analytics have changed his thinking?
Analytics get used in games all the time.
