The bow tie man himself, little tiny Ken Rosenthal (who in all seriousness does great work– I’m just a jerk) wrote about the perception among many – including other insiders, according to Kenny – that reported next Phillies front office exec Andy MacPhail will bring more of the same when it comes to analytics. He doesn’t think that’s the case:

The Phillies, in the words of one club official, recognize that they were “tardy” on analytics, waiting too long to incorporate data in their evaluations and develop their own proprietary information system. They now have three full-time analysts and two interns, according to major-league sources — significantly less than many other clubs, but a step in the right direction.

…

By now, the Phils surely realize that such views are antiquated — almost every club employs a team of analysts who work in tandem with on-field personnel to secure every possible edge.

Thus, no one should be surprised if MacPhail ultimately hires a statistically savvy GM to replace Amaro, and if the Phillies ramp up their analytics department to the level of other clubs.

Not exactly hard evidence, but it’s one (small) man’s take.