Page 21 - Baseball Statistics News Today

February 17, 2021 Aaron Sabato went in the first round last summer because of his bat. As Eric Longenhagen wrote when putting together our Minnesota Twins Top Prospects list, “teams were about as sure of Sabato’s hitting ability as they were of any player’s in the 2020 draft.” An accomplished slugger at the University of North Carolina, the 21-year-old first baseman is a masher with an admirable offensive ceiling. Defense is the question mark. At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Sabato is built...

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

Typically, we roll out most of our international amateur free agent reports during Prospect Week, which falls just five months ahead of those players’ usual signing day on July 2, with a few more trickling in as the signing date approaches. The lingering effects of the pandemic mean the next signing period likely won’t begin until January 2022, but there are still fresh scouting reports on The Board for your perusal. You’re going to want to open that up in a new tab as you read this artic...

Top 300 Players Rising Buster Posey (+11.25)- It is interesting to see Posey rising up the ADP after opting out of the 2020 season. Supposedly he is in great shape and has a vote of confidence from Kapler. I have wondered in recent seasons if the power dip we have seen from him is due to being banged up so much. He should catch a fair amount and with Brandon Belt possibly missing opening day, he could get more time at first base as well. If the DH were to return to the NL, he would have another...

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

Position: Advance Associate, Major League Strategy Location: Flushing, NY Summary: Seeking an individual with a background in data analysis to work with the club’s Baseball Analytics team with a focus on advance scouting. This is an entry-level, seasonal 6-8 month position in which the Associate will analyze baseball data and use their findings to provide insight within the areas of game strategy and preparation. Applicants should be available to start prior to the 2021 season. Essential Duti...

February 16, 2021 Editor’s note: This story includes a discussion about attempted suicide and mental health. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. I woke up and everything was dark. My eyes were open; it felt like they were open. But I couldn’t see anything. Where was I? What had happened? There was a horrible taste in my mouth, and it...

I’ve always struggled to understand the “ceiling” projections that accompany prospects. It’s not that I don’t get the concept — 95th- or 99th-percentile outcomes aren’t the same for everyone, and that’s interesting. And it’s not that I don’t think some prospects have higher ceilings than others. It’s merely that I have a hard time discerning which types of prospects have the greatest chance of being superstars. For every Bryce Harper where the talent smacks you in the face...

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.

Last week, I unveiled my newest xHR/FB rate equation, v4.0. On Thursday, I dove into Std Dev of Dist FB+LD, which is one of the components of the equation and not a metric that is typically discussed because the values need to be calculated manually. Today, let’s move along to Avg Dist FB+LD, which is a much more familiar metric. It’s simply the average distance of a batter’s fly balls and line drives. Naturally, all else being equal, the higher the average, the greater the HR/FB rate. Fi...