Perhaps Anthopoulos can devise a groundbreaking strategy that is not known outside the Blue Jays’ front office. Or perhaps other factors now percolating throughout the game will make the biggest difference in this generation.

A decade ago, Jeff Luhnow was a top executive at Petstore.com. Now he is the general manager of the Houston Astros, the team with baseball’s worst record in 2011. Luhnow speaks with equal enthusiasm about a sports analytics seminar in Boston and a bunt-defense clinic in spring training. He has a wide-ranging mind but struggles to identify the next big trend in baseball.

“What are the chances of you stumbling on something that’s never been stumbled on?” Luhnow said. “At the same time, there’s also so many choices for where you want to differentiate yourself that I think a big part of our job is to figure out which of those areas we should invest in.”

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Luhnow listed a handful of issues teams could emphasize, including injury prevention. Imagine if a team could keep all its best players off the disabled list, year after year. Freakish injuries are inevitable, but which body types are more likely to stay healthy? What are the proper hitting, pitching and running mechanics to minimize physical risk?

The issue has become especially important since amphetamines were banned. In a 162-game season, muscle recovery and energy maintenance are crucial. Without artificial means to help, players theoretically must adhere more closely to guidelines from the training staff.

“There’s no question that injury prevention is going to be a massive differentiator going forward,” Friedman said. “It’s difficult, because some of it’s doing the right things from a preventative standpoint, and some of it is just the DNA and composition of the player. You can’t really know, not when you’re drafting.”