The Braves may not have been very busy in the MLB Winter Meetings, but they were able to produce one good thing out of the week, and that is an interview by Eno Sarris of Fangraphs asking Braves Director of Baseball Administration John Coppolella some questions about statistics in the front office.
↵Sabermetric fans, as well as casual fans, often wonder the extent that advanced statistics are used by the front office in evaluating players. Coppolella made the point of saying the Braves use Fangraphs at times, looking up UZR/150 and whatnot. They also use stats from other sites, just trying to gather as much information as possible. As a fan of sabermetrics in the front office, I find this very interesting and great to see.
↵Obviously, no matter what Moneyball portrays, a team cannot solely rely on stats to build a team. The Braves still use scouts heavily in evaluating players, such as for defensive purposes, and luckily the Braves have had one of the best scouting systems in the game for around two decades now. Scouts are not going anywhere anytime soon, and that is good for baseball. No matter how much you love sabermetrics, you always want a first-hand account of a player, and a scout's information will always be valuable.
↵The interview is a must-read for all, not just sabermetric fans. It is a great look inside one of the statistical minds of the Braves.