Toronto Star: Cribb: Sabermetrics: Stats guru advising Blue Jays

(adjusts suddenly ramping Cosellian toupee)...Almost up close and nearly personal with Tom Tango!

The former Montrealer is a self-taught expert in the science of baseball statistics (referred to as sabermetrics), which is gaining authoritative influence in front offices and on the field.

“There’s nobody better than (Tango) in the world,” said Wayne Winston, a professor of decision sciences at Indiana University and author of Mathletics.

“He’s a genius. He knows everything about baseball. I think he’ll help (the Jays) a lot to make better decisions.”

...You can forget about divining any Jays-specific intelligence from Tango. His contract with the club includes a “non-disclosure agreement” forbidding such things, says the shadowy Tango, who operates quietly behind the club curtain.

He wouldn’t agree to an in-person or phone interview. But he did respond to questions from the Star via email.

“My work contributes far more in terms of evaluating baseball talent in terms of wins and dollars than anything else,” he wrote. “(Coaches and GMs) can still use their instincts on things that have no data, but if the information exists, then I make sure they have it, in some digestible form. This way, they can make an informed decision.”