There’s no doubt that MLB teams have become increasingly reliant on Sabermetrics in the 21st Century. According to Justin Upton, it’s changed how teams view players.
In an interview with Pedro Moura of The Athletic (H/T Bill Baer, Hardball Talk), the Los Angeles Angels outfielder spoke about how teams see players, drawing a direct line to Sabermetrics.
“Teams don’t value players as people anymore,” Upton said. “They value them as a number on a sheet of paper. … I’m not saying this in a negative way at all, but when Sabermetrics came into the game and guys became stats, this was coming.”
Really, there’s no disputing Upton’s point. People within the Sabermetric world see it the same way.
Although to be fair, MLB front offices have long had similar issues, just not related to Sabermetrics. We’ve seen collusion cases around some of MLB’s best players (notably Andre Dawson). We’ve seen a league fight tooth and nail to keep the reserve clause, blocking free agency. It’s hard to say that the front offices at those times we’re seeing their players are people.
Now, it’s just a new kind of thing. It’s absolutely the case and for their sakes, we hope that MLB players (current and future), can find a way to deal with it. Because the blunt reality is that this isn’t going away any time soon.