PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks announced the hiring of Ed Lewis as the team's Director of Baseball Analytics and Research. Lewis will oversee the organization's increased efforts in those areas and work closely with assistant general manager Bryan Minniti, baseball operations data analyst John Krazit and baseball operations coordinator Sam Eaton.
"We were all extremely impressed with Ed's background and his extensive knowledge of baseball and analytics," said general manager Dave Stewart in announcing the hire. "We believe that he will be able to help us find the balance between traditional evaluation and analytic evaluation that will help us make sound decisions throughout baseball operations."
Lewis has been a trusted ally of chief baseball officer Tony La Russa for more than 30 years, collaborating on many projects, including that as a special assignment scout during the Hall of Fame manager's tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals.
"Ed gave me my first introduction to advanced analytics when he worked with our offensive preparation in St. Louis, and I've always been impressed with his intelligence and integrity," said La Russa. "It was clear that Stew and Derrick (Hall) were also very impressed by his wealth of knowledge. He is a scientist who is mathematically inclined, and he knows the game. Most importantly, he understands our approach to it."
Lewis is a former veterinary medical and surgical practitioner who has been a lifelong student of baseball, statistics and the more recently expanded analytics.
