MLB insider says Aaron Judge prompted Yankees GM Brian Cashman to reconsider using "RBIs and batting average" in team evaluation
Whether or not the New York Yankees rely solely on analytics is up for discussion, but Aaron Judge believes there are two metrics that need to be used in evaluation: RBIs and batting average. The 2022 AL MVP said at the end of the regular season that he felt that the team may be devaluing the wrong numbers.
Now, an MLB insider has cited which metrics those are. According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, there were internal discussions, and Judge prompted Brian Cashman to reconsider two of the most traditional metrics:
"One of the main topics of conversation was expected to be the Yankees’ use of analytics, especially after Aaron Judge said on the final day of the regular season that they may be devaluing the wrong numbers. Cashman said Tuesday that he asked Judge about which numbers he was referring to and the answer was RBIs and batting average."
Cashman recently revealed that there were closed door discussions, and some of them got heated. The team, both players and staff, are not happy with what transpired in 2023. Thus, Judge spoke up on how he believes the front office can evaluate better.
Aaron Judge wants to see RBIs and batting average brought back
RBIs and batting average are two of the most traditional stats in the game. Those two and home runs are used to describe a player's season on most broadcasts. However, in the modern era, analytics have grown and there are a lot of stats.
Statisticians generally believe batting average and RBIs are not reliable for a couple of reasons. A person's batting average doesn't take anything into account, such as luck, defensive placement, exit velocity, and more.
RBIs, generally speaking, require someone on base, and that has nothing to do with the hitter who would then earn the RBI. For these reasons, most analytics departments and stat people look to other metrics for context.
Aaron Judge, however, believes that simplicity might be needed here. The Yankees have used analytics quite a bit. What the balance between them and traditional metrics actually is is completely unknown, but that balance may be shifting based on the captain's comments.