A lot of teams are now hiring their own people to collect and analyze this kind of data. Many a front office has a data science person, a biomechanist, or a sports scientist. Elliott knows many of them personally, and says he likes and respects a good number. But he also says the league is in an “awkward phase.” The people who understand the data tend to be weak on the day-to-day “blocking and tackling” of training strong athletes.