Since When Is Using Data a Problem in Baseball?

The Cardinal Chronicle
Since When Is Using Data a Problem in Baseball?
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

There’s a strange line being drawn right now—and it doesn’t make much sense.

A reporter is taking heat for using AI to help develop postgame questions. The criticism? That it’s somehow cutting corners. That it’s not “real” reporting.

But here’s the question nobody seems to be asking:

Since when is data a problem in baseball?

This is a game that runs on information. Front offices are built around analytics departments. Managers have real-time data at their fingertips. Pitchers adjust based on spin rates and heat maps. Hitters study launch angles and pitch tunnels before they ever step into the box.

We don’t question any of that. In fact, we expect it.

So why is it suddenly an issue when a reporter uses a tool to prepare better questions?

Let’s not confuse the tool with the craft.

Good reporting has never been about scribbling something down on a notepad and hoping for the best. It’s about preparation. It’s about understanding the game, recognizing the moment, and asking the question that actually matters.

If AI helps organize thoughts, sharpen angles, or avoid the same recycled clichés we hear night after night, that’s not a shortcut—that’s doing the job.

Because the real work still happens in the room. It’s in the follow-up. It’s in listening. It’s in knowing when to push and when to let a moment breathe.

Baseball didn’t lose its soul when it embraced data. It evolved.

Reporting can too.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports