John Smoltz hate reaches new heights on World Baseball Classic broadcast

John Smoltz is involved in the FOX broadcast of the World Baseball Classic, and baseball fans have a newfound hate for his commentary.

What is it about old men which makes them yell at clouds?

John Smoltz isn’t even that old, frankly. At 55 years old, he’s young enough to have pitched in MLB at a high level just a short time ago. His Hall-of-Fame induction was in 2015. What’s all the fuss about?

There’s a generation of MLB players and executives who choose to ignore the analytics and numbers provided to them. Perhaps it’s the classic jock vs. nerd relationship, which most non-athlete conformists tend to get over after high school. Maybe it’s a lack of understanding. I’m not sure.

However, Smoltz is a national analyst for MLB game on FOX. He ought to be familiar with some of the basics, especially if they’re provided to him prior to the broadcast.

https://twitter.com/jmaschino_56/status/1635475016719515649

Why does John Smoltz hate baseball analytics?

This isn’t the first time John Smoltz has been wrong in the face of a deep dive. In last year’s NLCS between the Phillies and Padres, Smoltz insisted that pitchers do not struggle their third time through the order as compared to the rest of the game:

“I hate talking about third time through because it’s a moot point. Nobody ever does it. So you can tell me all the numbers you want, third time through. If you’re not trained to know how to pitch, then you’re showing the hitter everything you’ve got in the first two times so you’ve got nothing to give the third time.”

That quote was from Baseball Prospectus, which went on the prove Smoltz wrong, again.

Just like Smoltz insisted that exit velocity isn’t always telling to the quality of an at-bat, or the contact made with a baseball.

No one tell this man about baseball savant, please.