“Yost [Manager for the Kansas City Royals] would be criticized for not replacing erratic infielders when he had late-innings leads and allowing untested pitchers to compete – and often fail – in crucial situations. The critics didn’t understand, he told me, that he wasn’t necessarily trying to win those games. “The difference between 72 and 76 wins doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. I wanted to put those young players in a position to gain experience, so than we when could compete for a championship, they’d know how,” Yost said. “You can’t do that when you’re pinch-hitting for young guys. You can’t do it when you’re quick-hook starting pitchers. They’ll never learn to work themselves out of trouble. People would say, ‘What’s he doing?’ They didn’t understand. I’d rather lose a game on my watch so they could win later.””

– From Game of Edges: The Analytics Revolution and the Future of Professional Sports by Bruce Schoenfeld

“They don’t know what I know” is a phrase I’ve heard before from coaches in reference to their players and fan base. Often, coaches or managers are ridiculed for seemingly bizarre or poor decisions during performances. Yes, sometimes mistakes are made, but coaches frequently get berated from the outside without an understanding of what is really going on.

Schoenfeld’s new book highlights how analytics has permeated most professional sports and is beginning to trickle into college and lower levels also. Analytics can be a huge benefit, but owners and decision makers need to be careful that analytics do not supersede coaching. Analytics should support coaching decisions, but in many situations this book demonstrates that it is apparent that coaching takes a back seat to what the data says should be done.

Yost is an example of how coaches can succeed without analytics (again, I will state that analytics do have their place). He understood that relationships, learning under pressure, and the fostering of a team was necessary for success. Data didn’t interest him.

Coaches need to be asking about data analytics when applying for jobs. How much is it used? How is it valued? What is available? How much influence does the data analytics department have in decision making?

Data analytics are here to stay and continue to become more and more complex. But coaches and managers and owners should never forget the importance of Yost’s coaching methodologies. Quality coaching remains an integral part of success.