Top 5 promising Dave Dombrowski quotes on Phillies’ future
By Matt Rappa
2. Dave Dombrowski believes in equally using scouting and analytics.
"“I try to equally use scouting and analytics. Some people may favor scouting strictly, some people may favor analytics strictly. I believe in combining both of them and then working together and using whatever information you possibly can to make the best judgment.” – Dave Dombrowski"
About midway through his introductory press conference on Friday, new Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was reminded of Managing Partner John Middleton‘s movement to build an analytics department within the organization.
“He spent an awful lot of money on it, adding personnel and technology and whatnot,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury told Dombrowski. “They use it up and down the system.”
When asked by the baseball scribe if he will feel pressured to use analytics in building his roster and organization in general — or if he will learn more on his reputation as a scouting guy — Dombrowski made a promising response.
“I try to equally use scouting and analytics,” Dombrowski said. “Some people may favor scouting strictly, some people may favor analytics strictly. I believe in combining both of them and then working together and using whatever information you possibly can to make the best judgment.”
Dombrowski recalled his days with the Detroit Tigers, which relied mostly on spending payroll on the big-league roster. But then, he recalled being with the Boston Red Sox, an organization he said “incorporated analytics basically everywhere.”
“You’re older, so you’re not supposed to believe it and you hear these reputations,” Dombrowski said of comments he hears being made about him and his philosophy. “That is not as accurate an assessment, because I’m very supportive of all that type of information and will continue to do so.”
Having a balanced approach is exactly what the Phillies currently need. There is a time and a place to use both the “eye test” in baseball, as well as data that may give the team a competitive advantage over another. Dombrowski appears to be committed to using both.