Clubhouses and How They Can Reflect Records: An Analysis

02/28/2019

As the MLR reaches maturity and passes the halfway point of its third season, we begin to see perennial contenders as well as teams who seem to vary from year to year. It got me thinking: how much of team success is predicated on clubhouse culture, and does a better clubhouse culture translate into wins? Furthermore, does a foundation of a strong culture make it hard to dethrone certain ballclubs, even if you improve your own?

I asked around the league for some insight, questioning general managers on how their clubhouses function in both community and game interactivity. I asked about the success of scouting, about how often players appear for scouting, and how often they come for extracurricular means. 

Furthermore, I gauged the activity in each clubhouse over the last month, asking GMs to show me how many messages their clubhouse had in total during the month of February. These are my results from fourteen total clubs: 

I will refer to 5 and 6 win teams in the same scope, given they are above .500, and to 3 and 4 win teams in the same scope, given they are below .500. 

Overall, the bottom lines with these groups in comparison to their Discord messages infer some relation with clubhouse activity and wins. The above-.500 group had an average of 4490.38 messages in the month, while the below-.500 group had an average of 1737.83 messages in the month. The top below-.500 team had 3,941 messages (Red Sox), while the Expos commanded the above-.500 teams with 9,813. Without factoring the Expos into the above-.500 side, they would have a 3730 average for their monthly Discord messages, almost 1000 messages less! Furthermore, if I took out the Rangers' 20 messages in the month, the below-.500 group would hit 2081.40!

Here are the full numbers for each club: 

Along with quantitative numbers, I asked GMs to describe their clubhouse environments and their scouting departments. Teams in the above-.500 often were more rigid regarding activity and how important it is to their team and club identity. Tampa GM Robin Reynolds, who did not provide numbers, stated: "if you're not active I don't value you and I'll trade you, I rather have a .200 hitter that shows up to work than a .400 hitter that just guesses." Expos GM Peter Jones reminisced on how "dead" the clubhouse was and how most of the club was "reddit-only;" she told me how she "turned it around," stating: "There are people other than me talking. Everyone gets along just fine (Even though I have a couple of Divas who like to ham it up for 'shiggles.') We have a lot more people using scouting and discussing swings these days. It's good, we're doing well."

It has definitely added up, as the Expos are on a fantastic run this season. After starting 2-3, amidst this resurging clubhouse, Montreal has torn on a 4-game win streak and are tied for first in the NL East.

As I alluded to prior, below-.500 teams seem to have a laxer approach to clubhouse environment and how it affects signings and transactions. Per Boston GM Jordan Peppers: "I'd say we're semi-active. [We've] got a good core of guys who talk most days but some days no talking. Then we['ve] got guys who will pop in a couple times a week. Everyone gets along, [we have] some good banter between Larry and Leeder. Nate provides a lot of scouting but I don't believe a lot of players use it." Pirates GM Jimmy Johns said "We are a pretty laid back club, but also very small. The only player not on our roster is Smitty. Majority of the club checks the discord but about half actively post."

Of course, this is not all true, which brings me to another interesting point: overcoming the establishment. Clubs like Philadelphia and Tampa Bay have an established cultural presence in the MLR, and have always had both the clubhouses and the wins. Montreal is also becoming a clubhouse Goliath fast after a fairly successful on-field history. I feel that as the game progresses, a good clubhouse will slowly and surely not be enough. The Brewers are a prime example of this. GM Kevin Arianna described his clubhouse as "very active, with a lot of different personalities." The Astros, who have had a historically difficult time treading water, sent me a delightful screenshot of their clubhouse getting along and having fun. 

Hell, the Astros have one of the largest message counts of the below-.500 teams. This just goes to show that there is something more than activity at play, something I could never tap as a partial outsider. Scouting quality is likely the main culprit, or perhaps something more. Maybe we'll see a sudden collapse of the hierarchy, as we saw with the slight fall of Boston and Toronto already; maybe these teams are still in the process of ascending, and we just haven't witnessed the end of their rise to dominance yet.

That's why three seasons is just the tip of the iceberg for MLR history.

Look out for my seasonal Pitching Rotation Ratings List, which will be coming out during the All-Star break post-Session 12!

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