The Hidden Edge: How Teaching is Transforming Baseball Player Development
Baseball has always been a game of finding edges. From Moneyball’s focus on on-base percentage to the analytics boom of the past decade, the most successful teams have consistently exploited inefficiencies in the market. But as the analytical revolution has matured, what was once a sharp advantage has dulled. The market is saturated with data-savvy minds, and while those skills remain valuable, they are no longer rare. To stay ahead, teams are now looking beyond the well-trodden paths and seek out the next undervalued commodity — the hidden edges that others have overlooked.
The edge in baseball has shifted. What was once a groundbreaking way to break into the game — analytical expertise — has become commonplace. The market is now oversaturated with talented individuals who excel in analytics. While those skills still hold value, their weight has lessened as teams across the league have leveled the playing field in this area. The question now is: Where does the next edge lie? What are the undervalued skills and approaches that teams can leverage to gain a competitive advantage?
The answer might be hiding in plain sight: player development through improved teaching. Over the past few years, player meetings — sometimes called advance meetings, classroom sessions, or “ball talks” — have undergone a quiet but profound evolution within player development departments. What started as straightforward preparations for daily matchups, like analyzing how pitchers might attack hitters or outlining a game plan against an opposing offense, has morphed into something much bigger.
As video and scouting reports became more accessible, these meetings evolved. Teams began using them to review not just strategies but also quirky or poorly executed plays from affiliate games, turning mistakes into teachable moments. Unintentionally, coaches found themselves in the role of educators.
Consider any advance meeting ever held: these sessions are fundamentally about teaching. A hitting coach might distill the key elements of how an opposing pitcher plans to attack, helping players focus on understanding intricate patterns. Similarly, a pitching coach prepping the starter and catcher for the day is teaching them the critical aspects of the game plan to exploit an opposing lineup’s weaknesses.
For many coaches, this educational role was uncharted territory. They were thrust into the position of being instructors — often for the first time — and had to adapt quickly. The most common thing to have happen is that coaches return to the default that they once had in their lives. They reflect on what their ‘best teacher’ or ‘best coach’ did and tried to emulate that for themselves. Which logically makes a ton of sense. If you look back at your own experiences and start to consider how you would handle a specific situation then you would try to emulate someone who you looked up to. This is percisely what most new teachers do when they enter the profession. Looking back at their best teachers, and the training that teachers undergo is simply to try to reduce this bias, or to try to improve it in some way.
We were always headed this way once the game started to change in terms of its analytical view. Eventually everyone kind of knew that it would be about how can teams help players improve? Then it was going to shift even further toward the role of coach as kind of the chief improve officer of the affiliates. Coaches now have so much if not more than enough information to help any player improve. Not that everyone’s models are the same, or the information spread isn’t big in some situations. But the model has changed from being just analytical to being someone who can teach and improve players. This should continue to be the north star for teams that are trying to improve. It is blending the information, with the personal aspect of the game and getting players to take the information and act on it. This part isn’t new for most in the game at this junkture.
What is new is that coaches are being asked to teach more, almost on a daily nightly basis. To stand in front of a groups of players confidently and lay out a game play or talk about a situation for 5–10 minutes and not only hold the attention of players, but to also get them to retain the information and make the neccesary adjustments off of that. In some circles, it thought that these big meeting.
Over the past 20 years, coaching in baseball has undergone a dramatic transformation as technology and analytics have become ingrained in nearly every facet of the game. The role of the coach has shifted significantly, evolving from being the sole proprietor of information and knowledge to a more integrative and collaborative position. Coaches are now tasked with seamlessly blending input from multiple departments, including scouting, strength and conditioning, analytics, and other coaching staff. This shift has made their role more akin to that of an offensive coordinator, where synthesizing diverse perspectives is as critical as delivering actionable insights to players.
This transformation accelerated in the late 2010s with the introduction of advanced technologies like TrackMan and batted-ball data. These tools provided coaches with unprecedented insight into player performance, capturing data on every pitch, swing, and ball trajectory. With this influx of granular information, coaches could not only evaluate player decisions in real time but also offer targeted adjustments to optimize performance.
The integration of these new responsibilities fundamentally changed how coaches approach their jobs. Instead of relying solely on instincts or past experiences, they now act as a central hub, processing and distilling complex data sets into clear, actionable strategies. This requires not only technical expertise but also exceptional communication and teaching skills to ensure players can understand and apply the information effectively.
This shift has also placed greater emphasis on collaboration. Coaches must coordinate with analysts to interpret data, work with strength and conditioning staff to ensure players are physically prepared, and incorporate insights from scouts to tailor strategies against opponents. The modern coach must be adaptable, detail-oriented, and capable of bridging the gap between numbers and execution on the field.
While this evolution has brought undeniable benefits, it has also added layers of complexity to the role. Coaches now carry the burden of managing vast amounts of information while maintaining the trust and focus of their players — a balancing act that requires both technical acumen and emotional intelligence. This change in responsibilities has redefined coaching as a multifaceted discipline, where the ability to teach and lead effectively is as important as understanding the game itself.
By examining this evolution, it becomes clear that the role of the coach is no longer just about knowing the game — it’s about integrating knowledge from every corner of the organization and transforming it into on-field results. This fundamental shift has laid the groundwork for the next frontier of player development: teaching as a cornerstone of competitive advantage.
This brings us to the current landscape of player development, where the coaches who excel at teaching have become the most valuable assets in the game. The days of coaches relying solely on their instincts or past playing experiences are over. Instead, the modern coach is a skilled educator, capable of breaking down complex information and delivering it in ways that resonate with players, enabling them to immediately apply it in game situations.
In today’s competitive environment, where information is abundant and time is scarce, the ability to teach well is the true differentiator. Coaches who can simplify, clarify, and connect ideas for players not only help them adapt more quickly but also create sustainable improvements in performance. These skills are what separate good coaches from great ones.
As baseball continues to evolve, the teams that prioritize developing their coaching staffs’ teaching abilities will be the ones that gain the next edge. Teaching is no longer a supplementary skill — it’s at the heart of what makes player development successful. Coaches aren’t just guides for the game; they’re architects of progress, and their ability to teach effectively will define the future of the sport.
