Part 4/10:
Balancing Analytics with Traditional Fundamentals
Jeff Blum, a former Astros player and broadcaster, comments on the complementary nature of analytics and traditional baseball instincts. He stresses that while analytics help shape a team—identifying power hitters or efficient base stealers—baseball is still fundamentally a game of scoring runs.
Blum advocates for players who can drive in runs from third base with fewer than two outs, hit for power, and change their hitting approach based on the game situation. These nuances, he argues, often aren’t fully captured by traditional statistics but are vital to winning.