While ERA is the best way among the simple statistics to compare pitchers, it does not tell the whole story of their season. Historically, there is much interest in the details of a pitcher’s approach and how that influences their ERA. Does a pitcher rely on power and strikeouts, or precision and defense?
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 12 – Other Basic Pitching Statistics”2022 Blogmas Day 11 – Earned Run Average
Let us leave the world of sluggers and slap-hitters behind us, and move 60 feet forward to the pitcher’s mound. I’ve always enjoyed and valued pitching over hitting in my baseball life. As such, the first ten days of hitting required me to learn more than I anticipated, while I feel more prepared to handle this section of Blogmas.1I’m still doing my research to make sure I have everything correct. We’re not starting as simple as possible, but we are starting with the most important of the original pitching statistics: how good are you at preventing runs from scoring?
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 11 – Earned Run Average”- 1I’m still doing my research to make sure I have everything correct.
2022 Blogmas Day 10 – Win Probability Added
On the heels of evaluating players based on how many wins they can provide to their team, let’s look at how clutch players are. Do they shine in the big moments, or just generally perform well yet fail to make an impact when it truly matters?1This post will conclude the first 10 days of Blogmas, which I decided from the beginning would be dedicated to hitting. The next 10 days will be dedicated to pitching statistics.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 10 – Win Probability Added”- 1This post will conclude the first 10 days of Blogmas, which I decided from the beginning would be dedicated to hitting. The next 10 days will be dedicated to pitching statistics.
2022 Blogmas Day 9 – Offensive Wins Above Replacement
Today we move onto one of the gems of advanced baseball statistics1Somehow I’ve gone this long without using the phrase Sabermetrics, which is the catch-all term for many of the derived values we’ve been covering. Its name comes from SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. that generalizes player value beyond concrete elements like hits and runs, and looks specifically at how many wins a player is worth.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 9 – Offensive Wins Above Replacement”- 1Somehow I’ve gone this long without using the phrase Sabermetrics, which is the catch-all term for many of the derived values we’ve been covering. Its name comes from SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research.
2022 Blogmas Day 8 – Weighted Runs Above Average and Runs Created
Let’s dive back into the weeds. Hitting the ball and getting on base are important jobs for hitters. But what actually wins the game? Scoring more runs than the other team. Today, we’ll look at two ways of quantifying run production, both of which are weighted in the same way we saw with wOBA.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 8 – Weighted Runs Above Average and Runs Created”2022 Blogmas Day 7 – Batting Average on Balls in Play
Today we’ll look at a statistic that is interesting for both the offensive and defensive side of baseball. When a ball is put in play, how often does it go for a hit?
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 7 – Batting Average on Balls in Play”2022 Blogmas Day 6 – Isolated Power
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”