The Utilization of Statistical Data by the Chicago White Sox Organization: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

The Utilization of Statistical Data by the Chicago White Sox OrganizationA Historical Analysis Alan S. Kornspan (bio) In recent times, there has been increased awareness of the utilization of statistical analysis within the sport of baseball.1 In fact, recent texts have highlighted how data analysis can be used to guide baseball decision-making.2 While employing statistical data to improve and evaluate baseball performance is frequently believed to be a fairly modern development, managers and general managers have been interested in applying numerical methods to the game since the early 1900s. For instance, using advanced statistics to influence baseball decision-making began with Branch Rickey of the St. Louis Browns in the early 1900s and by Coleman Griffith, Jack Sterrett, and Chester Snyder in the late 1930s with the Chicago Cubs.3 Prior to the 1940s, some teams were beginning to apply data collection and advanced statistical techniques to gain a competitive advantage on the field. Nevertheless, most teams still relied on the official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistics for publicity and for baseball decision-making. However, as the 1940s progressed, Branch Rickey hired Allan Roth as a full-time statistician for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In this new role, Roth collected data and provided advanced statistical analysis to Dodgers coaches and front office personnel. During Roth's time as team statistician, his work garnered much media publicity.4 It appears likely that in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Roth's service to the Dodgers influenced a cultural shift within professional baseball. In particular, as publicity surrounding Roth's influential efforts with the Dodgers became more commonplace, other team owners recognized the value of his work. This realization led MLB owners to find ways of collecting advanced statistical data for making strategic baseball decisions. Since an organization's publicity director was often already involved in the collection of the traditional statistical baseball data, owners and general managers reasoned that the same person [End Page 101] could also perform a dual role as the team statistician, who could collect and analyze advanced data for baseball analytical purposes.5 This paper chronicles a time in baseball history referred to by Thorn, Palmer, and Reuther as the "new statistics movement". Generally, this movement is attributed to the collaborative efforts of Rickey and Roth. Although much is known about their efforts, little is known about how other teams began collecting more advanced statistical data during the 1950s and 1960s. Therefore, this paper demonstrates how the White Sox organization began emphasizing the reporting, recording, and utilization of statistical data by their publicity directors during the new statistics movement. In particular, I highlight how the Chicago White Sox, under the leadership of Frank Lane, began to have publicity director Ed Short collect advanced statistical data.6 The following pages describe the use of statistical data by the Chicago White Sox organization from 1946 to 1984. First, a discussion of how the White Sox organization began placing more structured emphasis on collecting and utilizing statistical data is provided. Specifically, I discuss the influence of Chicago White Sox general manager Frank Lane toward placing emphasis on data collection. Next, details are provided about the type of data collected by Ed Short in the early 1950s. This is followed by a description of the innovative statistical system Al Lopez and Ed Short developed to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Chicago White Sox batters. An overview of the increasingly complex season ending summaries the Chicago White Sox organization produced throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s is then delineated. Finally, the Chicago White Sox use of the computer to analyze baseball statistics during the 1980s is explored. the influence of frank lane: the chicago white sox begin to focus on statistical analysis During the mid- to late 1940s a focus on documenting detailed statistics was an emerging trend for MLB organizations.7 For example, Ed Burns noted "Never before has such a wealth of complete statistics been prepared by ball clubs."8 According to historians, the Chicago White Sox also began to follow this trend of keeping more detailed baseball performance statistics during this time period.9 In particular, Marsh Samuel began keeping a more comprehensive record...