A few days into the 2023 MLB season has me thrilled by baseball, and I have a few short thoughts and links to share.
Continue reading “Baseball Ramblings to Begin the 2023 Season”MLB Rule Changes in 2023
Each time I sit down to establish my feelings about the new MLB rules going into the 2023 season, I flounder. I have a hard time separating the baseball I know and love from the inevitable future version it must become if it’s to survive and hopefully thrive. I can only imagine what the players faced with learning these new rules must feel, because some of the changes are rather drastic.
Consider this post a snapshot of my mind right now. It’s not clean or concise, and my feelings will change once I get a few games under my belt this year and see the practical ways these rules affect gameplay. But here’s where my heart and my head lie for now.
Continue reading “MLB Rule Changes in 2023”2022 Blogmas Day 24 – Retrospective
This Blogmas experience proved to be a fun, engaging, and informative project. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I’m glad I dove in and made it happen.1I’ll be switching back to my weekly schedule on December 26.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 24 – Retrospective”- 1I’ll be switching back to my weekly schedule on December 26.
2022 Blogmas Day 23 – Defensive Runs Saved and Defensive WAR
Hot on the heels of Ultimate Zone Rating is another tool with the same goal: measure a player’s defensive contributions in terms of runs saved. This other statistic, Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), doesn’t just have a better name, but in my experience is favored over UZR in most situations.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 23 – Defensive Runs Saved and Defensive WAR”2022 Blogmas Day 22 – Ultimate Zone Rating
Thanks to the wonderful book The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner1It details the stunning victory of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series. I had an early introduction to some advanced statistics, at least those that were popular a few years into the 21st century. Among these was Ultimate Zone Rating, a first crack at trying to measure how well a player defends their position.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 22 – Ultimate Zone Rating”- 1It details the stunning victory of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.
2022 Blogmas Day 21 – Fielding Percentage and Range Factor
Leading into the home stretch, let’s discuss some defensive statistics. As a category, these represent recent innovations in baseball, as defense is the most dynamic aspect of the game. Players can change where they are positioned, which affects their ability to get to a ball. As we gather more data — ball speed off the bat and launch angle — we can better analyze defensive ability. But it’s still messy.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 21 – Fielding Percentage and Range Factor”2022 Blogmas Day 20 – Pitcher WAR
We’ve already addressed the concept behind WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in the abstract and for offensive players in particular. Today, we’ll consider how we quantify runs for pitchers and overview calculating their WAR.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 20 – Pitcher WAR”2022 Blogmas Day 19 – Leverage Index
Relief pitchers can enter the game in very different situations, and that should be accounted for when evaluating their performance. Coming in to clean up a 12-0 victory (or defeat) is different than coming in during a close, tense game with a lot on the line. We measure this disparity using Leverage Index (LI).
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 19 – Leverage Index”