Monday, February 27, 2023
Time shifting Front Offices
Someone on Reddit posted this delicious thought:
The year is 1960, and the spirit of Tom Tango visits a random MLB manager in his dreams, and tells him everything he needs to know about sabermetrics. The manager learns about FIP, OPS+, BABIP, leverage, etc. (Tom doesn't tell him anything about the future, just about sabermetric concepts.) The manager gets his GM and team on board and they start applying these principles. How much does the team improve over the next few years compared its non-sabermetric competition?
We always talking about transporting PLAYERS across time. Well, how about we transport FRONT OFFICES?
The first step is just like Brad Pitt was doing, we'd see a bevy of trades. Maybe if someone wants to have some fun with this, imagine you are the Chicago Cubs. From 1947 to 1966, they were in the bottom half of the NL in each and every one of these twenty seasons. So, let's take the midpoint, the 1956 season has just finished. You transport the Epstein/Hoyer front office to the fall of 1956. What happens?