Arizona Diamondbacks hire Dr. Ed Lewis as director of baseball analytics and research

The Arizona Diamondbacks have hired Dr. Ed Lewis as their Director of Baseball Analytics and Research, the team announced Monday.

Lewis has known Diamondbacks Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa for more than 30 years. They worked together several times, including when Lewis served as a special assignment scout during La Russa’s tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lewis will oversee the Diamondbacks’ analytics and research efforts, working with assistant GM Bryan Minniti, baseball operations Data Analyst John Krazit and baseball operations coordinator Sam Eaton. Lewis will be reporting to general manager Dave Stewart.

“We were all extremely impressed with Ed’s background and his extensive knowledge of baseball and analytics,” Stewart said. “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.”

During his time with the Cardinals, Lewis was also the founding director of Cardinals Care, the team’s community fund, from 1996 through 1999.

“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,” La Russa said. “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.”

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