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Ricky Thompson

Principles of Management

Willis B.

12 September 2014

Case Application 2

1. In a general sense, what kinds of decisions are made in baseball? Would you characterize
these decisions as structured or unstructured problems? Explain. What type(s) of decision-
making condition would you consider this to be? Explain.

In general, decisions made in baseball are based on the linear thinking style. Baseball
managers are using everything at their disposal to compute different kinds of data to help them
make the best possible decisions for the team using rational, logical thinking. In baseball,
managers are making decisions that will allow them to have the highest possible percentage of
success, using whatever means possible. I would characterize these decisions as unstructured
problems because they are using ambiguous data from several different qualities about a player,
or even multiple players at once. I would consider this type of decision making condition to be a
risk, because not all outcomes are known, but there is a reasonable amount of known data.

2. Is it appropriate for baseball managers to use only quantitative, objective criteria in

evaluating their players? What do you think? Why?

I don’t think that it is appropriate for baseball managers to use only quantitative,
objective criteria in evaluating their players. I believe that the personal feelings of the player
matter to some degree, and have at least a minor effect on their performance during a game.
Every single player has “off” games, a game where that player does not play to his or her fullest
potential, and that needs to be factored in with every player in every single game that they play
in.

3. Do some research on Sabermetrics. What is it? What does it have to do with decision
making?

“Sabermetrics is the search for objective knowledge about baseball.” [ CITATION Jam \l
1033 ] Sabermetrics takes all of the tangible information from baseball, includes runs batted in,
score speed, batting speed, at-bat percentages, etc., and makes that information work cohesively
to compile a document that shows what needs to be done with a team to have the best possible
chance of success out on the field. It basically takes everything that a manager needs to know
about baseball and puts it all together in one document, allowing him or her to make the best
possible decisions in several different states of play.
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4. Describe how baseball front office executives and college coaches could use each of the
following to make better decisions: (a) rationality, (b) bounded rationality, (c) intuition,
and (d) evidence-based management.

Rationality could be used by managers to make the right plays at the right time. An
example of this would be when the bases are loaded, you would most likely want the person with
the record of the most homeruns under pressure to be at bat.

Bounded rationality could be used by managers to put in a pinch hitter when the bases are
loaded, to almost guarantee a score for that play.

Intuition could be used, and is used, when switching players out between innings,
especially after something bad happens to the team, such as a complete strike out for all three
players at bat.

Evidence-based management is probably the hardest to relate to baseball, although I

would say that a manager using evidence would use a certain pitcher’s pitch for the rest of the
game, because it has been effective in the past.

5. Can there be too much information in managing the business of baseball? Discuss.

I think that there are too many different variables that are at play in baseball to be able to
reliably predict what will happen within a game to manage it effectively. Managers usually take
up one type of thinking, whether it is linear or non-linear thinking, and use solely that type of
decision making process when managing baseball. However, baseball, with all of its intricacies,
needs to be looked at with both types of decision making processes.

Works Cited
James, Bill. A Guide to Sabermetric Research. n.d. Web. <http://sabr.org/sabermetrics/single-page>.