Subscriber Bonus: Ask About A Stat!
OK, so we had a lot of fun last week with a little story we called My Favorite Advanced Stats (and Why I Like Them). There are, apparently, lots and lots of questions from Brilliant Readers out there about advanced stats, how they work, what they’re missing, why they’re pointless, etc.
Well — let’s try something. I just happen to know Tom Tango, inventor of WAR, developer at Statcast™ and guy who helped my daughter with her math issues a few years ago. Tom has volunteered to work with me to answer some of your questions about anything you like in the statistical world.
Let’s obviously keep it civil, but feel free to be as pointed as you like. Do you hate WAR? Ask about that. Do you disagree with Tom on the value of batting average (he says it has no statistical value once you know on-base and slugging percentages)? Ask about that. Do you want to know what he’s been thinking about as he invents a new kind of WAR? Ask him about that. Or would you like to know his favorite Statcast™ statistics and why they help open up the game? The floor is wide open.
And if you have any questions for me on stats — I don’t know why you would, but still — I’m here, too. In fact, I’ll be asking Tom for his answers and offering up my own views to go alongside.
See? We have a lot of fun here!
So, anyway, if you are a subscriber and have questions — and I know you do — just drop them into the comments below, and Tom and I will tackle them.
What is the best all-in-one pitching stat? Should it be a stat that ignores balls in play like FIP, or are we better able to quantify those now with Statcast data?
Here's a stats question I've always wondered about:
Is the number of runners left on base in a game correlated to the number of runs scored, that is, the more runners LOB, the more runs a team is likely to score, and the few runners LOB the fewer runs they are likely to score?
Or is the number of runners LOB inversely correlated to the number of runs scored, that is, the more runners LOB, the fewer runs a team is likely to score, and the fewer runners LOB the more runs they are likely to score?
Or is there no correlation between runners LOB and runs scored, the former being just statistical noise?