Just because he wants the organization to be more statistical doesn't mean everyone in the office will be touting big backgrounds in analysis. Even in the day of numbers and Ivy Leaguers running baseball teams there's room for people in baseball with a baseball background. In fact, some would even argue that the numbers are not even all that hard to learn, and despite not touting a major background in that area most guys in today's FOs can pick up on what they like to look at statistically. Surely you've noticed that nowadays any Dick, Tom, and Jerry can lean to the numbers side if they follow the game hard enough and that there's a gazillion different numbers to analyze players on. Numbers is one edge a FO can give itself. I see this as similar to the Mets keeping John Rico despite the FO overhaul last year. It's an organization keeping it's touted young FO guys while it still can. I'm not sure what the big deal. Fleita holds what is perhaps the most important position in the organization for embodying what your team's philosophies are about. His teaching has the biggest impact on the prospects of any one in the organization. If he's teaching them old timey baseball while the organization is preaching saber that's a pretty enormous problem.