The former bankers who used statistical analysis of undervalued players to lead the Yokohama DeNA BayStars to a stunning upset in last year’s Japanese baseball championship aim to show that it wasn’t a fluke.
As fans whet their appetite with this week’s games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Yokohama is honing its indicators that predict how well a pitcher will perform at any given moment.
The team pairs that data from its analytics team with the advice of its scouts to use underrated players at the right moment. That combination led to the decision to have Hayato Horioka pitch against the powerful Yomiuri Giants last fall. Horioka, who was cut by the Giants in the 2023 offseason before he came to play on the BayStars’ developmental squad, had thrown a mere six innings during the regular season. The bet paid off, with Horioka helping to seal the game and Yokohama advancing to the championship.
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