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Bagwell criticizes Astros' focus on analytics: 'This game is played by humans'

Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Former Houston Astros first baseman and current special assistant Jeff Bagwell believes the club has grown too reliant on analytics over the past few years.

"There are certain things that go on that the numbers can't explain," Bagwell said Tuesday, according to the Houston Chronicle's Chandler Rome.

"This game is played by humans, man. It's not played by computers."

The Astros have been one of MLB's most analytically inclined organizations under the leadership of former general managers Jeff Luhnow and James Click. Houston parted ways with Click on Nov. 11 after he rejected a one-year contract offer from the club following its World Series win.

Bagwell has emerged as a trusted advisor of team owner Jim Crane and was heavily involved in the club's pursuit and eventual signing of free-agent first baseman Jose Abreu.

"I talk to Jim (Crane) a lot and the new AGMs just to give my opinion on some of the things I see and how I see it (from) a player's perspective, and I guess, a front office perspective and how that all mixes together," Bagwell said, according to Rome.

The Hall of Famer believes the Astros need to find a way to incorporate analytics into their decision-making process without overemphasizing their importance.

"You have to have a mix of both. You can't just be one way," he said.

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