Obligatory Moneyball Reference
Yes, many folks in the analytics space flock to “The Moneyball Reference”. It’s a great example of how data analysis seeped into the mainstream using a powerful vehicle known as Brad Pitt. The usual reference points out that Billy Beane’s analytical approach to players and statistics was counter to the decades-long logic of the established way of thinking. Furthermore, that logic led to improved success while spending fewer dollars. Call it the anti-Yankee approach. As an analyst and a lifelong baseball fan, though, there’s a more nuanced takeaway from Moneyball that I like to reference. That point is that the Moneyball approach is predicated on knowing the rules of the game. In baseball, the team with the most runs wins. Period. Here’s a (crude) video clip of the scene from…