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MLB

With Mookie Betts Extended, Dodgers Have a Chance To Rewrite The Record Books

The word “dynasty” gets tossed around in sports, but what does it really mean? The official definition for a dynasty in sports is a team or individual that dominates their sport or league for an extended period of time. Yet, what does it mean to dominate? What classifies as “an extended period of time”? There is so much subjectivity when it comes to deciding whether … Continue reading With Mookie Betts Extended, Dodgers Have a Chance To Rewrite The Record Books

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MLB

MLB 60-Game Season Predictions: Picking Award Winners + World Series Champion

Baseball is back??? If and when the Nationals host the Yankees on Thursday, July 23rd, Major League Baseball will successfully achieve its first goal in starting a shortened season. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic may end up ruining the efforts to finish the season, but for as long as we have baseball, I challenge everyone to enjoy it to its fullest. This will be a unique … Continue reading MLB 60-Game Season Predictions: Picking Award Winners + World Series Champion

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MLB

MLB 60-Game Season Predictions: National League

Is baseball on the horizon? If all goes as planned, which is a major if, the Nationals will host the Yankees on July 23rd, and from there, the goal is to have an exhilarating 60-game season. This won’t be a normal season by any means, but as the great Al Michaels once said, “fantasyland is where baseball comes from anyways”. Today, I’ll be handing out … Continue reading MLB 60-Game Season Predictions: National League

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MLB

MLB 60-Game Season Predictions: American League

Is baseball on the horizon? If all goes as planned, which is a major if, the Nationals will host the Yankees on July 23rd, and from there, the goal is to have an exhilarating 60-game season. This won’t be a normal season by any means, but as the great Al Michaels once said, “fantasyland is where baseball comes from anyways”. Today, I’ll be handing out … Continue reading MLB 60-Game Season Predictions: American League

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MLB

Replacing WAR with VOA, Part Two: Calculating an MLB Player’s $/Year Value and Projecting Team Win Totals

When evaluating players, the common baseball fan, and most analysts, use Wins Above Replacement (WAR), a statistic that is meant to capture a player’s overall value. However,  there are rather glaring flaws with WAR, which is why I came up with a statistic that I believe is superior- Value Above Average (VOA). In the introduction to VOA, we covered several topics, such weighting offense versus … Continue reading Replacing WAR with VOA, Part Two: Calculating an MLB Player’s $/Year Value and Projecting Team Win Totals

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MLB

Meet VOA, a Statistic That Captures an MLB Player’s Value Better Than WAR

As baseball analysts shift towards evaluating players with advanced statistics, calculating a player’s overall value has become essential. To do so, the common fan uses Wins Above Replacement (WAR), a statistic that measures a player’s value compared to a replacement-level player- a 1 WAR player is worth about one win above a replacement-level player, for instance. The convenience of a “tell-it-all” statistic like WAR cannot … Continue reading Meet VOA, a Statistic That Captures an MLB Player’s Value Better Than WAR

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MLB

What Actually Wins NFL Games? Not What Conventional Wisdom Wants You To Believe!

Team-building is just a fascinating phenomenon is sports, and, honestly, it is my favorite part about studying them. There are so many different strategies that lead executives take towards building a championship-caliber roster, and since they come from different backgrounds, their values are completely different. There isn’t a sport where this isn’t more obvious than in the NFL. While more executives are “analytically-minded” and have … Continue reading What Actually Wins NFL Games? Not What Conventional Wisdom Wants You To Believe!

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MLB

Study: Looking at The Optimal Arsenal for a Pitcher- Which Pitchers Can Improve Their Pitch Usage?

When scouting pitching prospects, evaluators are tasked with giving a pitcher a grade on the 20-80 scale for each of their pitches. At the beginning, it was standard to only judge a pitcher on their velocity when looking at their pure “stuff”, but now, that appears to be changing. With more teams focusing on different aspects of pitch data, it’s clear that there is much … Continue reading Study: Looking at The Optimal Arsenal for a Pitcher- Which Pitchers Can Improve Their Pitch Usage?

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MLB

Why a Catcher Timeshare (and a Platoon at Any Position In General) Is a Great Strategy For MLB Team-Building

When we evaluate an MLB team’s roster, we tend to just look at their opening day starting lineup, which is referred to as their “starting nine”. However, as teams get smarter, it’s clear that we can no longer make those types of evaluations. After studying winning teams, one common theme became apparent- their “starting nine” is more like a “starting twelve”. So, how are these … Continue reading Why a Catcher Timeshare (and a Platoon at Any Position In General) Is a Great Strategy For MLB Team-Building

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