{"id":712251,"date":"2026-05-29T22:48:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T22:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/712251\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T22:48:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T22:48:18","slug":"the-marlins-are-using-analytics-for-nearly-every-pitch-legendary-mlb-pitchers-and-catchers-cant-stand-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/712251\/","title":{"rendered":"The Marlins are using analytics for nearly every pitch. Legendary MLB pitchers and catchers can\u2019t stand it."},"content":{"rendered":"

The Marlins are using analytics for nearly every pitch. Legendary MLB pitchers and catchers can\u2019t stand it.<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then-assistant Miami Marlins<\/a> GM Gabe Kapler introduced an analytics-driven approach to the team\u2019s pitching strategy that first-year Clayton McCullough signed off on at the end of the 2025 season. In 2026, with Kapler promoted to GM, the strategy has progressed to the point where analytics drive nearly every pitch Miami\u2019s relievers throw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Marlins have won two playoff games since their 2003 World Series victory over the New York Yankees<\/a>. Miami has made the postseason just twice since the days of Josh Beckett<\/a>, Dontrelle Willis, Juan Pierre, Ivan Rodriguez, Derrek Lee, and Miguel Cabrera<\/a>. Kapler\u2019s transition was one made to break the malaise that\u2019s consumed the franchise for nearly two decades, through a name-change, stadium move, and comprehensive rebranding.<\/p>\n

Perhaps what the Marlins are doing is just a one-off trend. Thus far, McCullough\u2019s ballclub has a losing record in May and is a double-digit total of games back in the NL East. Success hasn\u2019t been there in South Florida.<\/p>\n

Legendary Atlanta Braves<\/a> closer John Smoltz still doesn\u2019t believe there\u2019s any going back from the analytics trend, though.<\/p>\n

Analytics could be a new, soulless trend that continues dictating players\u2019 careers. That\u2019s what I got from Smoltz\u2019 sentiment, anyway.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s literally ruining a position in our sport, pitchers\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Smoltz believes analytics isn\u2019t a bad thing at face value. He does believe that what it\u2019s become is damning for the sport. Particularly, the position he made a name for himself at during a very different era.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of smart people have gotten themselves in a position where they have all the answers, and they don’t ask any questions, and maybe it’s become a little bit arrogant in the attitude of ‘we’ve got all the answers.’ So analytics in and of itself has value, but it’s out of balance right now. It’s literally ruining a position in our sport, pitchers, and they\u2019re doing nothing about it,\u201d Smoltz said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Smoltz was one of several athletes participating in NBC\u2019s 2026 American Century Championship<\/a> I was able to speak to in advance of the annual celebrity golf tournament at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada. The ACC raises millions each year for local charities and the Stowers Institute. Baseball players typically make up most of the field, along with former football players.<\/p>\n

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When I asked Smoltz specifically how he\u2019d react if he was asked to do what Miami\u2019s pitchers do, he made it clear that it wouldn\u2019t have been good for his career. Smoltz even said that the baseball world wouldn\u2019t know his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would ask me to throw 99 to 100 (miles per hour), which I could, and then I’d break down several times, and you would never know my name\u2026I’m glad I played when I did; I controlled my own career. I had influence in what I was doing, and it was about making decisions that would advance my career, but we also had a different reward system then,\u201d Smoltz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when anything is new, and it’s integrated, it’s kind of exciting. You see the evolution of it, then when it goes too far, the pendulum will always swing back. I don’t think that’s the case in this instance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would probably ask for a trade\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

As Smoltz mentioned, how the Marlins do business is not good for pitchers\u2019 careers. Legendary Minnesota Twins<\/a> catcher Joe Mauer<\/a> doesn\u2019t believe it\u2019s good for catchers either.<\/p>\n

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In fact, he told me he\u2019d ask out if ever asked to do what Miami\u2019s catchers have to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would probably ask for a trade (laughs). That’s one thing I think I feel pretty strongly against. I feel like that pitcher-catcher relationship is an important thing and a trust that’s built between the two. I also felt scouting reports are only good until you throw that first pitch, and then you\u2019re just competing,\u201d Mauer said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat better position than the pitcher and catcher is there to make those adjustments in-game? I totally get why managers and coaches are trying to find the best way to do that. I just disagree with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catchers used to be the maestros of the pitcher-catcher relationships by calling games. Now, it\u2019s like a video game, trying to overpower on nearly every pitch. With that comes predictability that is burning the Marlins this season. Miami\u2019s bullpen has a 4.19 ERA and the team\u2019s collective WHIP hovers around 1.30. Analytics isn\u2019t getting it done in serious late-game situations; situations catchers used to manage instead of coaches in the dugout.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI just don\u2019t think you can solely lean on everything as a number\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Boston Red Sox<\/a> legend Derek Lowe, who was on the mound for the series-clinching games of the 2004 ALCS and World Series, was not as against analytics as Smoltz or Mauer. This is not to say that he was for it, though.<\/p>\n

Lowe provided a specific example of how analytics wouldn\u2019t have worked for those curse-breaking, \u201cFever Pitch\u201d Sawx, evoking Boston\u2019s ace that season, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez<\/a>, to make his point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t think you can solely lean on everything as a number. Because there’s emotion\u2026It’s a very emotional game, and not everyone’s the same. We can\u2019t think that we can put everyone in one box and say, \u2018Hey, this is how we’re going to do it for everyone.\u2019 Telling Pedro and me to do the same thing doesn\u2019t make any sense,\u201d Lowe told me<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s success for the rest of the season will be a major factor for the game moving forward. The Marlins use AI more than most organizations. Perhaps the AI bubble will pop in Little Havana first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Marlins are using analytics for nearly every pitch. Legendary MLB pitchers and catchers can\u2019t stand it. originally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712252,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2395],"tags":[1485,46,5,48,40621,25597,5185,4723,11372,1816,778,58,4171,8783,60,4,62,10873,3352],"class_list":["post-712251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami-marlins","tag-analytics","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-baseball","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-gabe-kapler","tag-ivan-rodriguez","tag-joe-mauer","tag-john-smoltz","tag-josh-beckett","tag-marlins","tag-miami","tag-miami-marlins","tag-miamimarlins","tag-miguel-cabrera","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-pedro-martinez","tag-pitchers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116660306170486986","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}