In another day of simpler statistics, Isolated Power (ISO) is derived from slugging percentage. It’s calculated in the exact same way, but ignores singles. Hence, it is isolating the power of a hitter, defined as the rate at which they get extra-base hits.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 6 – Isolated Power”2022 Blogmas Day 5 – Three True Outcomes
Let’s take a step back today and consider an overall shift in the way baseball has been played over the last few decades.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 5 – Three True Outcomes”2022 Blogmas Day 4 – Weighted On Base Average
You may have recognized that OBP and SLG each measure slightly different things. OBP is only a measure of whether you got on base, while SLG makes a big fuss over your hits in particular, and how “big” they were. OPS (and even better, OPS+) are a quick summary of these combined, which is cool. However, OPS treats OBP and SLG as essentially equal in their importance, while getting on base is demonstrably of higher value. If you want a more accurate measure of offensive production that is (relatively) simple to calculate, look no further than weighted on base average, or wOBA.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 4 – Weighted On Base Average”2022 Blogmas Day 3 – OPS and OPS+
BA, OBP, and SLG make up what is typically known as the triple slash line for hitting. You’ll often see something written like .275/.310/.382. That is BA, OBP, and SLG in order. However, we do like our summary statistics that reduce how many numbers we need to compare for making quick calls, so we use OPS: On Base plus Slugging.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 3 – OPS and OPS+”2022 Blogmas Day 2 – On Base and Slugging Percentage
We move on from batting average to discuss a much simpler statistic, as well as a weighted version of batting average. These two new statistics, along with batting average, have over the last decade come to comprise the base-level portfolio of a batter’s hitting abilities.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 2 – On Base and Slugging Percentage”2022 Blogmas Day 1 – Batting Average
Though not the most intuitive statistic, batting average was a gold-standard statistic for many decades, and is still considered important today.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 1 – Batting Average”2022 Blogmas Day 0 – Baseball Statistics
After a couple of years toying with the idea, I’ve finally decided to do a blogmas, my own take on creative challenges such as Advent of Code. In this case, you’ll be treated to 25 days of posts about the wonderful world of baseball statistics.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 0 – Baseball Statistics”Agonizing Over Engagement
Applying mathematical topics and skills to the real world is an often-discussed tactic to engage students who are otherwise dismissive of, or frustrated with, mathematics as a whole. By connecting the math a student does with real life situations—particularly skills they will “need” in the future, but also more abstracted situations that pertain to real life—some people expect students to gain an appreciation for what mathematics can do, and feel inclined to study it so they can actively participate in these various applications.
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