In the current climate of Major League Baseball, advanced stats have been utilized much more as organizations attempt to gain every possible competitive edge.
Some adapted much earlier and more aggressively than others, which the Los Angeles Dodgers were not necessarily part of.
However, under team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi, the Dodgers’ front office was ushered into a new era last offseason.
Despite sabermetrics becoming a prevalent tool, the reaction and acceptance to implementing the advanced stats has been split.
Resistance typically comes from those who have been involved with baseball dating back multiple decades. Fitting that description is Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, who enters his 67th season with the franchise in 2016.
In a recent interview with Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA, Scully explained why he doesn’t take issue with the sport of baseball evolving. “I understand that everyone is in search of doing the job better,” he said.
“And if that actually will make the Dodgers or any other team better by having the sabermetrics knowledge, well then I’m all for it. It’s like the umpires. The umpires are governed by one thought: get it right. They’ve swallowed their egos now.
“So if they make a call and then they go to New York [for replay] — ‘no, you didn’t get it right’ — OK, but we tried and we’re not so egotistical that we will constantly say we’re right and they’re wrong in New York. And the same with management, they’re trying very hard to get it even better and we’ll see if it works.”
Scully missed the 2015 postseason after undergoing a recommended medical procedure. He told Rizzo he’s since recovered and shared plenty of enthusiasm to get behind the microphone for a final season.