Page 19 - Baseball Statistics News Today

February 21, 2021 As a rule, teams tend to be less aggressive, and take fewer chances, when behind in games. The logic is sound, but at the same time, is it really necessary? Is there not often something to gain by pushing the envelope and putting pressure on the opposing side, regardless of the score? I asked that question to Derek Shelton earlier this week. “I think it’s game-situational,” the Pirates manager replied. “The question I would [throw] back to you — this is rhetorical, o...

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

Alan You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please dont worry, your report will be anonymous. Big fan of (fellow?) poker-playing statistician fantasy sports writers! Quick question: Don’t fantasy players have to be a bit cautious about using z-scores as a shorthand for value across categories? Just for a hypothetical example, suppose 90 percent of draftable pit...

February 19, 2021 Fernando Tatis Jr. has agreed to the longest contract in baseball history, and one of the most lucrative — and yet looking at the jaw-dropping ZiPS projection for his career, his 14-year, $340 million deal might be underselling him. At the very least, Tatis’ contract and his production to date cast him as a generational talent, and his forecast suggests he’ll wind up ranking among history’s great shortstops. While it’s hard to believe that a player with only two part...

Every year there are players who fall through the cracks between the boundaries of prospect coverage and big league analysis. These are often players who came up, played enough to exhaust their rookie eligibility, and then got hurt and had a long-term rehab in the minors. Some are victims of the clogged major league rosters ahead of them; others are weird corner cases like Adalberto Mondesi. Regardless, prospect writers are arguably in the best position to comment on these players because they ...

For the sixth year, ZiPS returns to crank out its top 100 prospects for the upcoming season. If you’re unaware of what the ZiPS projections are or the purpose they serve, please consult this article as well as this one while I reconsider my public relations strategy. I like to think that I’ve developed a pretty useful tool over the years, but don’t get me wrong: a projection system is not even remotely a substitute for proper scouting. While ZiPS and other systems like it can see patterns...

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

February 19, 2021 Yup, I’m podcasting again. Join me, Kevin Goldstein, for episode 1 of Chin Music, my new podcast. This week I welcome very special co-host David Roth of Defector, and feature a guest segment with The Athletic’s Pedro Moura, who talks about the Trevor Bauer signing and covering the beat during a global pandemic. Plus, we discuss the grind of spring training, what to do in Florida, some TV shows and much more. Warning One: While ostensibly a podcast about baseball, these c...