Yankees' commitment to analytics: You're all-in or you're out!

TAMPA, Fla. — Speaking after yet another postseason run ended much sooner than the Yankees thought it would, manager Aaron Boone uttered a line that quickly elicited guffaws from some opposing organizations.

“I love the way we have competed and showed up the last couple months,” Boone said after a 6-2 loss to the Red Sox in the American League wild-card game last October. “But the other message is that the league’s closed the gap on us. We have to get better. We have to get better in every aspect.”

It was the “closed the gap” part that caused a handful of text messages to stream in, unprompted, early the next morning.

“Not really sure how you can make that comment when you finish in third place,” one AL rival said. “It seems like they’re stuck in this place where they think they should be treated like they were from ’96-’12, but the way they operate has totally changed and the results haven’t been there and they’re totally oblivious to it.”

Indeed, the Yankees have not won, or been in, a World Series since 2009. No one in the fan base needs to be reminded of that, and no one in the organization needs a reminder, either.

The Yankees did make some changes. They at last acknowledged that a lineup with almost no lefthanded hitters made it too easy for rival teams to navigate with good pitching. That transition actually began before last season’s trade deadline when lefthanded-hitting Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo were brought aboard. Gallo, who struggled in his transition to New York, is under one more year of control. Late in the offseason, the Yankees signed Rizzo to a two-year, $32 million contract that has an opt-out after the first year.

There also was an acknowledgment that more of an emphasis should be put on defense. That contributed to the trade that sent Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins for shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a standout defender, third baseman Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP with Toronto, and backup catcher Ben Rortvedt, known as a strong defender but an unproven big-leaguer overall.

For sure, this roster looks different from the one that struggled for long stretches during the 2021 season — both offensively and defensively.

But when it comes to how the organization operates, there was little to no change.

The franchise’s all-in approach — overseen by general manager Brian Cashman and assistant general manager Michael Fishman and fully endorsed by managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner — when it comes to the use of analytics and performance science changed hardly at all. The Yankees not only doubled down on it during the offseason but, as one staffer said, “tripled and quadrupled down on it.”

That was evident in a variety of ways, especially when it came to many of Boone’s new coaches.

Previous third base coach Phil Nevin, for instance, ran afoul of the wrong people in the analytics department. He was viewed as somewhat of a traitor to the cause when it came to that wing’s new-world-order perspective and was tossed overboard.

The same, to a lesser degree, happened with hitting coach Marcus Thames, an immensely popular figure in the clubhouse, and longtime organizational loyal soldier P.J. Pilittere, who served as his assistant (Thames soon hooked on with the Marlins and Pilittere was hired by the Rockies).

Nevin, now with the Angels, learned what others in the organization have in recent years — all-in on analytics and performance science means 100% all-in, with little behind-the-scenes questioning or pushback wanted or tolerated.

The overall sense from those on the inside is that pushback of any kind puts you at risk of being marginalized in your role or, at worst, gets you sent packing. First base coach Reggie Willits, perhaps taking note of the experiences of Nevin, Thames and Pilittere — and others before that trio — chose to take a volunteer coaching job at the University of Oklahoma.

With the exception of new assistant hitting coach Hensley Meulens (who earned World Series rings as Bruce Bochy’s highly regarded hitting coach with the Giants when they won titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14) and former Mets manager Luis Rojas (the new third base and outfield coach, who enjoys a pristine reputation in the industry), most of Boone’s new staff don’t have much in the way of big-league experience.

The group, which includes hitting coach Dillon Lawson, assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes, assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel and first base/infield coach Travis Chapman, are generally regarded as super- bright and personable and — most important for the club — well-steeped in analytics. Their hires are consistent with the direction taken by the club the last handful of years.

Pause for the 100th time on this topic: Those thinking the Yankees should abandon this approach when it comes to analytics, performance science, etc. miss an important truism in the game: no franchise with the goal of long-term success operates without taking all of the information available to it and trying to incorporate it between the lines.

But as an executive with one NL club’s analytics department put it curtly to Newsday last season when it came to analysts: “We’re not all the same. Some of us are better at it than others.”

He continued: “Look, it’s our job to make sure everyone is on board, and you don’t do that by calling people stupid. You hear that from [so many teams]. It’s our job to make sure all of that [data] is filtered to everyone — players and staff most importantly — and presented in some manner other than ‘you’re a dinosaur and old-school and don’t understand how smart I am, so just do it.’ ”

As the executive noted, the issue of messaging is not particular to the Yankees, but they have gained a reputation as being particularly ham-handed at it at times.

Those in scouting have almost gotten used to it over the years — one club insider last season described an “us vs. them” dynamic between scouts and some analysts that gradually has gotten worse and worse in recent years — and though Steinbrenner said last July that he strives for “balance” between the two when it comes to baseball decisions, many on the inside openly scoff at the notion of it being achieved. It is not accurate to say pro scouts no longer have a voice when it comes to baseball decisions, but it would be equally wrong to suggest they have a voice remotely close to what they used to have.

That in and of itself might not be a bad thing, but there has been a recalibration in the analytics world with some clubs. The Rays, with whom the Yankees have an unhealthy obsession when it comes to how they operate, are just one example. Though it has a well-earned reputation as being numbers-driven, Tampa Bay balances that with a healthy respect for its pro scouts, who feel valued and listened to. The Rays are not alone in that regard.

There has been a realization with some clubs that not all can be quantified and that the mere lack of numeric value for something isn’t proof of its non-existence.

As a member of another NL club’s analytics department put it to Newsday during the offseason:

“Welcome to the battle of scouts versus analysts that’s been happening since Moneyball. Scouts were often able to see their mistakes and grow, while the analysts hid behind computers and poked fun while they left no paper trail so they could always deflect blame.”

One Yankees staffer, upon hearing that quote, responded: “Has a familiar ring to it.”

In the end, it likely is in everyone’s best interests to keep the feeling of being treated with condescension out of the clubhouse — if it hasn’t already trickled in.

That is something that bears watching during the marathon that is the 162-game regular season. Nerves already are frayed by the inevitable slumps that occur and some players — not all, but not an insignificant amount of them, either — may decide they’d prefer the occasional game in which they don’t feel as if they’re cramming for the SAT.

As for the Yankees’ roster, it is one that should contend for an American League playoff spot. With the right breaks in terms of reasonably good health, bounce-back seasons from the right players and the roster tweaks all but certain to come before the trade deadline, an AL East title and AL pennant are not out of the question.

The talent, as Boone likes to say, is “in that room.”

Starting with the regular-season opener April 7, players and coaches in that room officially will start to be held accountable for the results to come in the months to follow.

They just can’t be the only ones.