Inside Baseball: Why Going Deep Matters

Over the years, I’ve sat in countless meetings where a familiar scene unfolds. Someone starts explaining the technical details of a problem — perhaps a manufacturing issue, a market trend or a business glitch — and right away, they’re cut off. “That’s just too ‘inside baseball’ for right now,” a weary voice says. “What’s the net-net?”

Too often, I’ve watched as valuable insights are dismissed in favor of simplified summaries. It makes me ask, how can we solve problems if we don’t understand fundamental causes?

That phrase “inside baseball” is everywhere. In corporate America, it’s become shorthand for “too detailed” or “too specialized” for an average person to care about. The cultural message is clear — deep knowledge is somehow problematic, excessive or simply inappropriate to share.

In many cases, I think that’s dead wrong, and I’m going to go deep on the matter.

The Peculiar Evolution of a Metaphor

The term “inside baseball” has an interesting history. It originated in the 1890s to describe a strategic approach to the game developed by the Baltimore Orioles under manager Ned Hanlon. Rather than swinging for the fences, Hanlon emphasized bunts, stolen bases and strategic hitting — a deliberate, methodical approach requiring deep team coordination.

Over time, the phrase morphed from describing a brilliant strategy to meaning “specialized knowledge that only insiders care about.” Somehow, depth became dismissible.

It’s as if we took the phrase “rocket science” and transformed it from meaning “moon shot capable” to “unnecessarily complex thinking that should be avoided.”

The Executive Who Wants the Details

Then there’s the executive summary. Too often, it’s information stripped of nuance and complexity. The implication is that executives don’t have time for or interest in details. It’s an approach that can create a dangerous organizational pattern.

When leaders consistently signal they don’t want the details, they:

1. Miss critical insights that only emerge from depth
2. Create cultures where simplification is valued over accuracy
3. Make decisions based on incomplete information
4. Discourage team members from developing expertise

I’m one executive who sees a summary as merely the beginning of a conversation. If someone hands me a one-pager, they should be prepared for a dozen questions that drill down to the foundation of the issue. Not because I want to micromanage. Far from it. I love doers who take initiative and are ready to share what they’ve learned. What I’ve learned is that understanding something deeply almost always reveals new possibilities.

When “Too Much Information” Is Exactly What You Need

Think about the last time you faced a genuinely difficult challenge at work. Did you solve it with surface-level knowledge or by going deep? Exactly.

In my experience leading turnarounds at companies like Ready Pac Foods, the solutions to complex problems were rarely found in an executive summary. Solutions emerged from:

• Understanding the minute details of production processes
• Analyzing granular data about consumer preferences
• Learning the technical capabilities and limitations of our equipment and systems
• Diving into the specific concerns of individual team members

What might initially seem like “inside baseball” often contains the exact information needed to break through to new solutions.

Depth as Competitive Advantage

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s brilliant partner at Berkshire Hathaway, once observed, “I’ve long believed that a certain system — which almost any intelligent person can learn — works way better than the systems most people use. What you need is a latticework of mental models in your head.”

What Munger described is essentially the opposite of avoiding inside baseball. He advocates building deep knowledge across multiple disciplines — accounting, psychology, history, biology, mathematics — as the foundation for consistently solid decision-making.

In a world where everyone has access to the same surface-level information, depth becomes a competitive advantage.

The Joy of Knowing Things Deeply

Beyond practical benefits, there’s something deeply satisfying about understanding a subject in detail. Whether it’s baseball stats before a fantasy draft (a favorite springtime ritual for me) or the technical how-to of potato chip bagging equipment (an early career highlight), expertise helps make winning more consistent.

Some of my most enjoyable conversations have been with people sharing deep knowledge about something they care about. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and there’s something magnetic about authentic expertise shared with genuine passion.

Creating Depth-Friendly Cultures

Still with me? Let’s make it real. How does a business leader at any level work to create culture that values depth? Here’s what I do:

• Ask questions, even if they’re basic and might seem dumb. Always ask the second question — so you can get to the fifth.
• Make time for depth. Build time into meetings for occasional deep dives into important topics. Not everything needs detailed exploration, but some things absolutely do.
• Celebrate expertise. Recognize team members who develop specialized knowledge and create opportunities for them to share it.
• Connect depths across disciplines. Some of the most valuable insights come from connecting deep knowledge across different areas. Foster these connections.
• Model intellectual curiosity. Let your team see you learning, asking questions, and acknowledging when you don’t know something.

Knowing When to Summarize

Does valuing depth mean every conversation should include every possible detail? Of course not. There’s absolutely a time and place for summaries and high-level overviews.

The key is maintaining the proper relationship between depth and summary. Summaries should be built upon deep understanding, not as a substitute for it. Just be ready to go deep when the situation calls for it.

Final Thoughts: Embrace Inside Baseball

The next time someone dismisses information as too inside baseball, I encourage you to consider whether that depth might actually be valuable. Is it really too detailed, or is it simply requiring more thought and attention than we’re accustomed to giving?

In my experience, the most valuable insights often come from those willing to step into the complexity rather than glossing over it. So embrace inside baseball. Dive deep into what matters. When someone tells you it’s “too inside baseball,” just smile and say, “That’s exactly why I find it so interesting.”

After all, in baseball — as in business and life — the game is won through mastery of the fundamentals and attention to detail, not by avoiding them.

A lot of athletes today talk about “the grind,” nearly always in a good way. Without a commitment to the grind, you don’t rise out of the rookie leagues. Without the grind — and a love for everything that’s great about inside baseball — even major leaguers don’t make it to Cooperstown.