The intricate world of baseball, often seen as a battle of wits and athleticism, is increasingly driven by granular statistics and mathematical probabilities. A classic example from 'The Simpsons,' where Mr. Burns benches an eight-time All-Star for Homer Simpson based on 'playing the percentages,' humorously underscores the temptation to overanalyze data in the sport. However, high-level baseball genuinely embraces data, with teams employing numerous data engineers to inform managerial decisions. Stepping beyond this, the Oakland Ballers, an independent Pioneer League baseball team, took the concept of data-driven management to an unprecedented level by entrusting an AI with managing a game.

The Oakland Ballers, affectionately known as the Oakland B’s, were founded by edtech entrepreneur Paul Freedman as a direct response to the controversial departure of the Oakland A’s, a Major League team whose relocation by owner John Fisher left a void in the local sports community. Though a minor league entity, the Ballers quickly cultivated a national fan base, rallying support in protest of the A’s exit. This passionate community witnessed the Ballers secure Oakland’s first baseball title since 1989 after only two seasons. Freedman noted that the Ballers' minor league status grants them unique 'creative flexibility' to 'play with things and experiment with things way before the MLB or NBA or any of those leagues could do something,' positioning them as a testing ground for innovative technologies.

Embracing this spirit of innovation, especially given Freedman's tech background, the Ballers have piloted experiments that push the boundaries of sports management. Last year, they partnered with Fan Controlled Sports, allowing fans to make managerial decisions during a late-season game. This experiment, though resulting in a loss due to fans prioritizing entertaining choices over strategic ones (like calling a pitcher to pinch hit), set the stage for further technological exploration. Once the team clinched their postseason berth, the Ballers collaborated with AI company Distillery to develop software capable of managing a baseball game in real time. Freedman highlighted baseball's suitability for such an experiment, stating, 'Baseball is the perfect place to do an initial experiment like this, because it is so data-driven, and decisions are made very analytically... You have the pace to be able to do something literally after every pitch.'

Distillery’s AI software was powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, trained on over a century of baseball data and analytics, including previous Ballers games, to approximate the strategic decisions of Ballers manager Aaron Miles. Freedman clarified the AI’s role: 'What the AI did was figure out what our human coach would have done – the ingenuity on strategy and the concepts came from [Miles], and the ability to use the data and recognize patterns… is what the AI did throughout the course of the game.' He concluded that 'the role of human ingenuity is safe for now, and AI is a tool to be deployed to optimize decisions, but not to make them.' The AI-managed game proceeded smoothly, with the AI making nearly identical choices to Miles regarding pitching changes, lineup construction, and pinch hitters. The only instance where Miles had to override the AI was to substitute a sick starting catcher. Miles, secure in his role, even playfully extended the tablet running the AI for a handshake with the opposing manager, indicating a lighthearted acceptance of his temporary digital replacement.

However, the AI experiment stirred a significant backlash among Oakland fans. Many viewed companies like OpenAI as prioritizing the 'AI race' over adequately tested and safe products, seeing the Ballers’ venture as a betrayal akin to the corporate greed that led to the departure of three professional sports franchises from Oakland within five years. Comments like 'There goes the Ballers trying to appeal to Bay Area techies instead of baseball fans' and 'It’s so over for Oakland' reflected deep fan dissatisfaction. This negative reaction was unexpected by the Ballers, and Freedman has no plans to repeat the AI experiment. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the value in the dialogue it sparked: 'It never feels good to have your fans be like, ‘We hate this,’ but it’s not a bad thing that there’s more of a conversation about the pluses and minuses of this new technology now, as opposed to like, a decade later when it’s too late.'