Anthony McCarron had a story yesterday detailing the changes the Yankees have made to their Minor League operations this offseason. While it still seems strange that both Damon Oppenheimer and Mark Newman could keep their jobs despite the farm system's recent failures, there are other things that have changed, including more scouts being hired, upgrades to the Tampa facility, the hiring of former Major League manager Mike Quade as the outfield/baserunning coordinator, and more efforts being put towards injury prevention.
What stood out most to me in the list of improvements was the reference to a statistical analyst being added to the fold:
"Down the hall from Newman’s office sits a 'PhD in advanced math and statistics,' says Newman, a statistical analyst devoted to the player development department."
The article didn't specify if this was a new position or not, but I sincerely hope it isn't. If the Yankees are just now getting on board with the idea of advanced statistical analysis and applying it to their scouting and player development, they are seriously behind the curve. The lack of statistical analysis being integrated into their scouting and development strategies could be another reason we've seen the farm system struggle so badly in the recent past, and to just be adding it now doesn't make me feel good about having the same guys in charge of running the Minors.
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