Posted by Zach Sanders on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 6:15 am

A while back (approximately two weeks ago) Bill “The Sports Guy” Simmons mentioned something on his podcast that really got me thinking. He said that it feels like sabermetrics were ruining baseball for him. He felt that he could not watch a game anymore without knowing a players VORP or other advanced metric, and that it was taking the fun out of the game.

To be fair the The Sports Guy, his idea makes more sense if we know where he is coming from. He is a die hard Red Sox fan, and even has a book out about their rise from the cursed slums to glory. Being a regular Red Sox fan probably isn’t fun. I get it. Theo makes shrewd moves that are hard to understand and appreciate without digging into advanced metrics like UZR and WAR. The team lost explosiveness at the plate and moved towards hitters who work the count. It’s boring, and I understand.

From my perspective, they have made the game different to watch. Games with players taking loads of walks are admittedly not very fun to watch, but that is where the game is going. While they have made the game a little worse to watch for me (already hard for me to pay attention for three plus hours), I think they are helping the game. Anytime you can increase your knowledge and understanding of how things work in any facet of life, it’s a good thing.

But, don’t take my word for it. I asked my twitter followers if they felt stats were ruining baseball, and got some interesting responses. To be fair, I am a stats guy and so are a vast majority of my twitter followers, so this view is noticeably biased. However, the points brought up are all valid, even if one-sided.

BDD’s own Bill Baer said:

“There’s no ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer; it’s based on the person. Someone can rightfully claim that stats ruin baseball for him or her.”

A fair statement, to be sure. Daniel Moroz of Camden Crazies said:

“Nobody really likes being told that they’re wrong, and that’s what stats do for a lot of the older-school baseball people. They don’t ruin baseball, but they do ruin the baseball world in which those people lived.“

Very true. This has always been the sentiment of “stats vs. scouts”, and it will probably stay that way for awhile.

Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News said:

“No. Stats have always been part of baseball’s lifeblood. The fact that we now have more advanced stats won’t hurt anyone.”

Jesse took an approach that I like and agree with. If you don’t like the new stats, don’t worry about learning them and enjoy the game the way you did before.

Twins Target’s Andrew Kneeland said:

“No. For fans, most of the fun in baseball is held after the game. This fun is driven by numbers, which took place on field. Baseball as a whole is driven by stats. Just because those numbers are getting more complex doesn’t mean they are killing baseball. It’s just a sign that a new generation/demographic of fans are taking interest. Nothing but good news for baseball!”

Baseball is a game that lends itself to stats. For the most part, the game is filled with one-on-one matchups that make it easier to figure out a players value than in Basketball, where team play makes isolated talent level more difficult.

Baseball Digest editor Mark Healey said:

“The advanced stats that dominate the new fandom, will only ruin baseball if civility can be improved from both sides.”

There is a much different thought compared to what else has been said, but it deserves some credit for being on the money. Right now, neither side of “stats vs. scouts” is really willing to budge and admit that the other side has it’s points and embrace both. However, even though I am biased, most stats guy will tell you that scouts do have some things right, and defensive stats like +/- and UZR are essentially scouting reports put into numbers. Back to Mark’s point, if I understand him right, advanced stats won’t be able to run over baseball unless the scouts give in or everyone decides to get along and allow the stats to flow into the mainstream. This isn’t likely to happen soon, due to the tradition and hardheadedness on both sides.

Hotfootblog said:

“Stats aren’t ruining baseball any more than thinking gut feelings about a player’s ability are an accurate predictor of success.”

For those of you who don’t understand this quote, it means stats are not ruining baseball.

Wrigleyville23 said:

“No. It broadens the pool of those interested in the sport – and deepens the understanding of the game.”

Could not agree more. Goes right along with confirming what has been said.

The Nats Blog said:

“Stats are enriching baseball for everyone. Fans understand what they’re seeing better, and GM’s understand how to make better teams.”

There is that understanding concept again. That is huge. His second point is even better. If your GM better understands how to build a team and better use his monetary resources, can stats really be a bad thing?

Like I said above, this is an admittedly biased batch of quotes. I’m willing to bet 75% of my twitter followers use stats and will choose them over scouting. But, I do think they raise good points on why stats are not ruining baseball.

Stats don’t have to ruin baseball for you. It is understandable that you can be overwhelmed and feel forced to learn every new stat, but you don’t. There is nothing wrong with going to the ballpark and enjoying your team (and hopefully a victory). Leave the stats to the “professionals”.