The Phillies have given the Braves quite a tough time in recent years, especially in the postseason. With the promotion of the new assistant general manager, Preston Mattingly, they may become an even more challenging opponent.
"The organization that can simplify, make it easier for players to understand, is going to be the organization that's ahead of the curve."
โ MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 8, 2024
Newly promoted @Phillies GM Preston Mattingly plans to use modern analytics and his experience to revamp a winning club. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/08B9ZYu9k1
Phillies front office hire could provide Braves with trouble in the years to come
While the Braves did take the season series against the Phillies, winning 7 of the 13 games played against each other, the Phillies got the last laugh. They finished the 2024 season atop the NL East for the first time since 2011 with 95 wins. Although they got bounced from the playoffs in only the Division Series, the Phillies are still primed to give the Braves more issues and make it back to the World Series.
Mattingly hopes to improve an already stacked and successful Phillies team even better by emphasizing the importance of analytics in the front office. When interviewed on MLB Network, Mattingly stated, "We're looking to help players get better, and when your players get better, your team gets better." This statement speaks volumes since the team and players are already outstanding, creating an idea of a better team that should worry not just the Braves but the entire league.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฟ
โ Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSNBraves) August 20, 2024
Reynaldo Lรณpez returns to the mound as the Braves face off with the Phillies. pic.twitter.com/0Adl4gBiaW
The Phillies have continued to improve year after year and have only given the Braves more fits throughout the season. The Braves have been very different from the Phillies in one main aspect of each season, though.
While Atlanta seems to always get the better of the Phillies during the regular season, beating them in 36 out of 64 games played against each other since 2021, the Phillies always seem to come away victory when it matters most, beating the Braves in 6 of 8 playoff games since 2022.
In 2022 and 2023, the Phillies knocked the Braves out of the postseason for two consecutive years. As the Phillies proceed to improve each year between their players, coaches, and front office, it seems the Braves will continue to have a more challenging path to return to the World Series.
At the end of the day, analytics continue to show their impact no matter who your general manager or assistant general managers are. They are evolving the way teams play the game and how we experience it, as they show the vulnerabilities of even the most unhittable pitchers and impossible-out hitters.
Baseball is a game of development and adaptation, with analytics as an integral part of that process. The importance of analytics lies in how teams and front offices use it to find diamonds in the rough or weaknesses in opposing players. It will be interesting to see if the Braves will change their approach while facing the Phillies to counteract their new front office's point of view.