“It’s not enough when you have talent or you have data or you have computers that’s telling you what to do, because this is baseball,” first baseman Willson Contreras said after the Boston Red Sox were eliminated from the postseason.
Following their AL Wild Card Series exit against the New York Yankees for the second consecutive year, Red Sox leadership pushed back strongly against assertions that computer analytics dictated their postseason personnel choices. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Chad Tracy addressed reporters on Monday to refute claims of a franchise-wide data directive, maintaining that traditional scouting remains vital and that dugout choices belong solely to the coaching staff.
Contreras and Players Question In-Game Analytics
The flashpoints centered on quick hooks for starting pitchers in tight contests, specifically when both starters were pulled in the fifth inning. Contreras voiced the team’s discontent loudly, pointing to the limits of relying on computerized models when games reach high-pressure moments.
The postseason struggles followed a thrilling summer surge. After manager Chad Tracy took over following the dismissal of Alex Cora, Boston ripped off a 32-5 run to storm back into the playoff picture. That stretch featured Sonny Gray ascending to the role of staff ace after Garrett Crochet missed more than five months recovering from left shoulder inflammation.
Gray and Tolle Pulled Early in Series Defeats
Despite his stellar regular-season campaign where he went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA—tying for the most wins in the majors and leading the American League in winning percentage—Gray found himself lifting for the bullpen after just 70 pitches and 4 2/3 innings in Game 2 with Boston trailing 1-0. The Yankees capitalized immediately on Boston’s bullpen, baseball’s best during the regular season, pulling away for a 9-2 victory.
A similar scenario played out in Game 1 during a 9-0 defeat, when Tracy pulled rookie starter Payton Tolle after 4 2/3 innings and 83 pitches in another scoreless tie. Gray admitted afterward that he “would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.”
Tracy and Breslow Deny Front Office Scripts Games
Faced with mounting scrutiny over the quick hooks, Tracy firmly denied that the front office handed down any predetermined scripts or inning-by-inning marching orders.
“(Those) decisions are mine. We have information, just like all the other 29 teams have information. Everybody has that,” Tracy said. “But not one time since I’ve been here has anybody scripted a game, has anybody told me use this number right here to decide in this inning. Those decisions, they’re mine.”
Breslow echoed those sentiments while defending the organization’s scouting infrastructure. “I would push back on the notion that somehow the role of the scout or the importance of the scout has been diminished in this organization. That’s not the case,” Breslow said, emphasizing that institutional reliance on scouts for talent acquisition and roster building remains fully intact.
Despite the firm stance from the top, Tracy also moved to repair fences with his roster. He held a multi-hour meeting with Contreras in the days following the outfielder’s public remarks, describing their working relationship as being in a fine place while acknowledging the player’s frustrations.
Roman Anthony Evaluated for Right Hand Injury
As the front office shifts focus to the offseason, questions remain regarding outfielder Roman Anthony’s health. Anthony exited Game 1 against the Yankees and was removed from the active postseason roster before Game 2 after sustaining a new right hand injury during the series opener. The setback comes after he missed significant time from early May to late August with an injury to the same hand.
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