Front Offices: Jeff Luhnow Twitter Chat

After reading the MLB.com article on how new GM Jeff Luhnow was rebuilding the Astros and having an epiphany about it, I decided to follow him on Twitter. I was surprised to find that he held a quick Twitter Chat. In and of itself, it's pretty cool to see a GM actually hold a Twitter chat, but there are also a few nuggets that I thought were interesting, so I'm re-posting the chat for those who might be interested in how front offices operate, as everything out of Luhnow's mouth is like a master class in modern GM'ing.

#SSAChat FIRST General Question for everyone: What are the recent advancements in analytics people should be aware of?

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow @SloanSportsConf The biggest advancement is the ability to understand and get insights from the amazing amount of data now available.

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Enormous amounts of new data available in baseball every year #SSAChat What are recent advancements in analytics?

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow All of the above...@jluhnow Where is player evaluation going? Field f/x and Hit f/x? Catcher defense? #SSAchat

 Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Database set up is key, data from mulitiple sources @sugdaddy are you tracking on your own or from standardized databases? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Everyone to varying degrees @jluhnow are there really any teams any more that don't use analytical tools for player evaluation? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow D-base is foundation @nofatmike @jluhnow Do you think having some SQL or database administration is a necessity for analysis?

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Ever hear of Mike Fast?Great work, will help us@whimsicalcookie @jluhnow are #Astros using systems like FieldF/X and HitF/X? Did #Cardinals?

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Have to beat the best to be the best @aaaltaras @jluhnow how are you preparing to move to the powerful AL W? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Several questions on what to study/how to get a job... no one formula... specific knowledge is hit and miss depending on club #SSAChat

 Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow  Agree 100% @dmorey NO RT @TRedd #SSAChat do you think sports analytics will ever replace the major role of scouts in professional sports?

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Albert. @OscarGzz86: @jluhnow if you could have on your team any player from any era, who would that be? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Will eb and flow as we get better on both sides @TRedd @jluhnow @dmorey #SSAChat mostly scouts and a little analytics. Could that % flip

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow  Most have already. Danger is double counting @FatMerry @jluhnow are you having your scouts become more well-rounded analytically? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Score runs and prevent runs @aaaltaras @jluhnow with divisions so diff, how do you balance building for 2012 in NLC vs 2013 in ALW? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow BP, Hardball Times, The Book for baseball @JMVingelis Any good books/website to recommend for learning sports analytics? #SSAchat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Track it over time, use history @forzafutbol Are there ways to measure the effectiveness of a stat? #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Always will be debates. Broader fan base. @heathhamilton @sloansportsconf How have analytics changed way fans consume sports? #SSAchat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow How mgrs use prob and game theory imp but agree @dmorey Coaching analytics very difficult&should be weighted low vs other factors #SSAChat

Jeff Luhnow @jluhnow Thanks to all who participated... looking forward to the conference. #SSAChat