Sabo’s Era of Hitting Ignored By MLB Clubs

Sabo’s Era of Hitting Ignored By MLB Clubs
Chris Sabo #17 of the Cincinnati Reds watches the flight of the ball as he follows through on his swing during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1989. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
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Chris Sabo knows hitting, but is anyone listening?

Experience seems to be losing its value to MLB player development departments. Scouts are being replaced by Ivy League numbers “whiz kids,” and iPads seem to have more answers for players than coaches with years of on-field experience. This trend doesn’t offer any hints of slowing. One would think that former players with success between the foul lines, many with glaring statistics of envy, these pros would be in demand by analytics departments with all 30 MLB franchises.

Donald Laible
Donald Laible
Author
Don has covered pro baseball for several decades, beginning in the minor leagues as a radio broadcaster in the NY Mets organization. His Ice Chips & Diamond Dust blog ran from 2012-2020 at uticaod.com. His baseball passion surrounds anything concerning the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and writing features on the players and staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don currently resides in southwest Florida.