Thanks for that. What a great piece. Most importantly, the player is in favor of and receptive to suggestions from non-baseball personnel, on the grounds that the player wants to improve, and the program improved them a lot.
I come from the world of data analytics from a business perspective. So here is the rub: you have descriptive analytics (see where you've been historically, learn from the trends) and predictive analytics (see what works from multiple sources and not just the standard sourcing). In actuality, you have four distinct types in analytics today: Descriptive, Diagnostic, Predictive, and Prescriptive. The key to all this business intelligence (and this is not strictly for the MLB but all business around the world) is to not deny yourself the sources that are available. The best business intelligence is supported by multiple sources, including social.
The fact that the MLB (and not just the Astros) are using Business Intelligence is not really too far fetched to me. I see it more as what took them so long. Oh yeah, it takes proving this works for many... in any business. You have leaders, you have followers and you have deniers. Heck, they don't even call it Data Analysis any more... they call it Data Scienctist. If a player or scout denies themselve "information", they're just denying themselves business intelligence that will make them more successful and yes, more money.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/data-analytics.asp Why Data Analytics Matters
Data analytics is important because it helps businesses optimize their performances. Implementing it into the business model means companies can help reduce costs by identifying more efficient ways of doing business and by storing large amounts of data.
A company can also use data analytics to make better business decisions and help analyze customer trends and satisfaction, which can lead to new—and better—products and services.
