Abstract

Successful major league baseball managers are effectively strategic during games. They make decisions about who to put in the lineup based, in part, on their perception of which players are most likely to perform well against today’s opposing pitcher. During the game, they make pitching changes when they feel their starting pitcher is no longer effective or seems to be getting tired, attempting to replace the starter with a relief pitcher likely to retire the next few batters. Their strategies are not static, but subject to change depending on their effectiveness. Individual strategies are often embedded in a network of strategies, with the baseball manager’s strategy for getting the most out of his pitcher complemented by strategies for increasing run productivity and reducing the chances that a recovering player will be reinjured.