August 14, 2017

The Communicative Team

USA Today takes a look inside the Dodgers front office. The takeaway for me is how well the front office blends into the field office and the field itself:

“The communication from Andrew, Farhan (Zaidi) and the multiple GMs around here is extremely comfortable,’’ Dodgers veteran pitcher Rich Hill says. “It’s not like, “Oh, wow, I can’t talk to him because he’s the president or the GM. There are no barriers or walls. The level of respect is there for everybody, and you just don’t find that in every organization. Hopefully, other organizations will look at this as a model for everyone.’’

Make no mistake, this is an organization that thrives on data. Players are given charts before each game on everything from defensive positioning to opposing pitchers’ tendencies to secretive injuries. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has a color-coded cheat sheet on his wrist band. Outfielders carry index cards in their back pockets during games, reminding them of their defensive placement. Players are given access to a proprietary statistical website.

Manager Dave Roberts is provided so much information before every game that he could launch a NASA program.

“But the perception that those guys are just kind of number guys,’’ Roberts says, “couldn’t be further than the truth. They’re down in the clubhouse all of the time, interacting with players and coaches, and bouncing ideas off one another. We talk just as much about clubhouse chemistry, and the right type of player we need, as much as we do the data.’’

The whole article is worth the read. They built an impressively deep organization that was able to sustain injuries to major players and still blow away the competition. Nicely done.

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