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Smart Baseball

Page 28

by Keith Law


  Counsell, Craig, 100

  Cramer, Dick, 86–87

  Craps (game), 97

  Crothers, Tim, 214

  Cummings, Candy, 224n

  Cybermetrics, 30

  Cy Young Awards, 22, 219, 222

  Brown and, 215

  Glavine and, 217–18

  Mussina and, 226

  NL 2009, 198–200

  NL 2015, 154–55

  Sutter and, 220

  Davenport, Clay, 134

  Davis, Al, 57–58

  Davis, Chris, 253

  Davis, Khris, 253

  Davis, Storm, 24

  Davis, Wade, 48

  Dawson, Andre, 113–15, 115n

  Dead-ball era, 20–21, 60, 118, 124, 125–26, 224

  Defense-Independent Pitching Statistics (DIPS), 148–51

  Defensive metrics, 163–81, 200–202

  Defensive Runs Saved (dRS), 81, 166, 169, 171–72, 181, 257

  Defensive shifts, 170, 208

  Defensive spectrum, and position player, 186

  DePodesta, Paul, 130

  Designated Hitter (DH), 99–100

  Detroit Tigers, 15–16, 24, 100–101, 201–2, 214, 218

  Dewan, John, 165

  DiMaggio, Joe, 116–17

  DIPS (Defense-Independent Pitching Statistics), 148–51

  “Do Clutch Hitters Exist?” (Cramer), 86–87

  Dolphin, Andrew, The Book, 87, 90–91, 94, 95

  Donaldson, Josh, 135, 190

  Double plays, 74, 77, 117, 190, 213

  Downing, Brian, 79–80

  DRS (defensive Runs Saved), 81, 166, 169, 171–72, 181, 257

  Duensing, Brian, 44

  Earned Run Average. See ERA

  Eastwood, Clint, 232

  Eaton, Adam, 274

  Eckersley, Dennis, 220

  Edison, Thomas, 2

  Edmonds, Jim, 168, 173, 173–74

  Elias Sports Bureau, 87–88, 162

  Ellsbury, Jacoby, 62–63, 79

  Eovaldi, Nate, 255–56

  Epstein, Eddie, 2

  Epstein, Theo, 207–8

  Equivalent (now True) Average, 134

  ERA (Earned Run Average), 139–47, 151–55

  alternative measures, 147–49

  of Brown, 218, 218, 220

  Cy Young Awards and, 154–55

  defensive play and, 146–47

  FIP and, 152–53

  formula, 141–42

  of Kevin, 215, 216, 216–17, 218

  relievers and, 144–46

  of Rivera, 221, 223, 224, 224

  unearned runs and, 141–43

  Error rule, and fielding percentage, 73–78

  Erstad, Darin, 79

  Escobar, Alcides, 128, 136, 136, 190, 190–91

  ESPN, 30, 44, 219, 249, 252, 272–73

  Estes, Shawn, 25

  Exit velocity, 125, 168n, 236, 246, 251–53

  “Expected swinging strikes,” 256

  Extra-base hits, 123, 129–30, 189, 252

  Fangraphs, 136, 164, 166, 171, 190, 192, 195–98, 196n, 201, 252

  Fantasy baseball, 1–2

  Fast, Mike, 178, 179, 264

  Fastballs, 192, 240, 241, 242, 254–55

  Fenway Park, 116

  Fernandez, Tony, 35

  Fielder, Prince, 100–101

  Fielder positioning, 147, 181, 258

  Fielders, and WAR, 200–202

  Fielding (glove), and five-tool talent, 239

  Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), 149, 152–53, 227

  Fielding percentage, 71–83, 164

  error rule, 73–78

  play made/not made distinction, 82–83

  Range Factor, 78–81

  Fielding Runs (FR), 165, 212–13

  of Whitaker, 212, 212–13

  Fielding statistics, 163–81, 200–202

  Fingers, Rollie, 220–21, 222

  Finley, Steve, 142

  FIP. See Fielding Independent Pitching

  Five-man rotations, 21

  Five-tool talent, 238–40

  Flynn, Doug, 92

  Ford, Whitey, 221

  Forecasting, 198

  Forst, David, 262

  Foulke, Keith, 52, 53, 53

  Four-man rotations, 21

  Framing pitches, 177–81

  Franco, John, 222, 224

  Francoeur, Jeff, 109

  Francona, Terry, 54–55, 208

  Free agency, 113, 184, 193, 232–33

  Friedman, Andrew, 179

  Fulmer, Carson, 243

  Gage, Tom, 15

  Game-calling, 176, 180, 185–86

  Gameday, 246

  Game power, 238–39

  Game-Winning RBI, 52, 162

  Gathright, Joey, 58

  Gatlin, Justin, 257

  General managers (GMs), 203, 261–64, 268–69

  Genetics, 235

  Gibson, Bob, 125, 198, 222

  Gibson, Josh, 85, 253–54

  Gilovich, Thomas, 104

  Girardi, Joe, 49

  Glavine, Tom, 216, 217, 217–18, 228

  “God of the gaps,” 88n

  Goldschmidt, Paul, 135, 190, 190

  Gonzalez, Fredi, 31

  Gonzalez, Juan, 215

  Gonzalez, Luis, 100

  Good Relievers, 145

  Gordon, Dee, 15–16, 16, 62–63

  Gordon, Joe, 209, 211, 213

  Gossage, Rich “Goose,” 220

  Grandal, Yasmani, 179

  Green, Andy, 263

  Green, Brett, 104

  Greinke, Zack, 154, 154–55, 161, 197, 198

  Griffey, Ken, Jr., 174–75

  Grizzard, Lewis, 45

  Grounding into double plays, 37

  Gwynn, Tony, 9, 35, 36, 114–15, 115

  Haddix, Harvey, 28

  Hall of Fame, 15, 208–29

  Brown and, 215–19

  Hoffman and, 217–18, 221–22

  pitchers in, 22–23, 219–28

  Whitaker and, 209–15

  Hamilton, Billy, 251

  Hand-eye coordination, 267–68

  Hardball Times, 236

  Haren, Dan, 199

  Harper, Bryce

  BABIP, 150

  batting average, 15–16, 16

  Batting Runs, 190

  NL MVP, 15–16, 111

  OBP, 111–12, 190

  OPS, 127–28

  run expectancy, 68–69

  wOBA, 135, 135

  WPA, 161

  wRC, 137

  Harvey, Matt, 241

  Hawkins, Andy, 142–43

  Hawkins, Jim, 15

  Henderson, Rickey, 39, 60–61, 66–68, 67, 68, 118

  Hendricks, Kyle, 151–52

  Hernandez, Felix, 22, 30

  Herr, Tommy, 39–41, 40

  Herzog, Whitey, 39

  Hidden Game of Baseball, The (Thorn and Palmer), 158–59, 165, 188, 189–91, 195

  Higgs, Peter, 267

  Hilbert’s problem, 181

  Hiller, John, 221, 222

  Hitters

  batting average, 9–17

  determining value, 186–91

  exit velocity, 125, 168n, 236, 246, 251–53

  five-tool talent, 238–40

  On-Base Percentage (OBP), 126–28

  On-base Plus Slugging (OPS), 127–32

  plate discipline, 120, 240

  RBIs (Runs Batted In), 31–41

  slugging percentage, 121–24

  stolen bases, 57–69

  swing mechanics, 236–37

  wOBA (weighted On-Base Average), 134–36, 138

  wRC+ (weighted Runs Created), 136–38

  Hitter myths

  clutch hitters, 86–89

  “hot hand,” 102–5

  lineup construction, 93–96

  lineup protection, 90–93

  productive outs, 96–102

  Hitting for power, 236–37

  Hitting in the air, 236–37

  Hit tools, 239–40

  Hoak,
Don, 28

  Hoffman, Trevor, 217–18, 221–23, 222, 224

  Hold, 50, 145

  Holtzman, Jerome, 45, 46, 51, 52

  Home runs, 10, 125, 186–87

  BABIP and, 148n

  slugging percentage compared with, 123

  Hornsby, Rogers, 209n

  “Hot hand,” 102–5

  Houston Astros, 178, 179, 249, 250, 257, 262, 264, 265

  Howard, Ryan, 41

  Hoynes, Paul, 19

  “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” (Updike), 116

  Huckabay, Gary, 111

  Hudson, Daniel, 48

  Hultzen, Danny, 237–38

  Hunter, Catfish, 216, 217, 220

  Hurdle, Clint, 161, 261–62

  Iannetta, Chris, 180

  Individual stats vs. team stats, 36–37

  Infield shift, 170, 208

  Inherited runners, 46, 48, 144–45

  Inherited Runners Scored, 144

  Injuries, 237–38, 263–64

  Intentional walks, 90–93

  Isolated power, 123

  Isringhausen, Jason, 53, 53

  Jackson, Joseph “Shoeless Joe,” 85

  Jacobellis v. Ohio, 241

  Jaffe, Jay, 119, 228

  James, Bill, 2, 87, 109, 110, 188, 228

  Range Factor, 164

  Runs Created, 38

  Similarity Score, 119–20

  Jansen, Kenley, 145

  Jeter, Derek, 192

  assists, 172

  clutch hitting, 89, 89

  fielding errors, 77–78

  OBP and Outs, 118, 119

  Jimenez, Ubaldo, 44

  Johnson, Walter, 224, 225

  Jones, Andruw, 72n, 164, 173, 173–74

  Joss, Addie, 220

  Judge, Jonathan, 180

  Just a Bit Outside (blog), 41

  Kansas City Royals, 48, 80–81, 128, 208, 233

  Keeler, Wee Willie, 20

  Kelly, R., 104

  Kemp, Matt, 66

  Kent, Jeff, 214

  Kershaw, Clayton, 197, 197–98, 221, 223

  BABIP, 152, 154, 154–55

  ERA, 154, 154–55, 197, 221

  Kettmann, Steve, 44–45

  Keuchel, Dallas, 197

  Kimbrel, Craig, 27, 145

  Kinsler, Ian, 66

  Kipnis, Jason, 101, 102

  Koch, Billy, 53, 53

  Koufax, Sandy, 220–21, 221, 224

  Laird, Gerald, 180

  Lajoie, Nap, 124

  Lanigan, Ernie, 32

  Law, Rudy, 60

  Leadoff hitters, 34, 34, 95–96, 275

  Lee, Thornton, 117

  LeMahieu, D. J., 66

  Lemon, Bob, 216

  Lester, Jon, 68

  Leverage, 4–5

  Lewis, Michael, Moneyball, 30, 110, 130, 208, 231, 271

  Lichtman, Mitchel, 166, 167–68, 170, 171

  The Book, 87, 90–91, 94, 95

  Lidge, Brad, 49

  Life (magazine), 31

  Lincecum, Tim, 198–200, 237

  Lindor, Francisco, 101–2

  Lindsey, George, 188

  Linear weights, 37, 130, 136–37, 187–88

  Lineup construction, 93–96

  pitchers, 95–96

  Lineup protection, 90–93

  Live-ball era, 123, 155, 198, 225

  Lofton, Kenny, 61, 173, 173–74

  Los Angeles Dodgers, 31, 71, 74, 154, 161, 179, 216

  Lowe, Derek, 265

  Lucroy, Jonathan, 179, 180

  Luhnow, Jeff, 262

  Lyle, Sparky, 222, 222

  McCann, Brian, 180

  McCracken, Voros, 148, 149–50

  McCutchen, Andrew, 92n

  McGee, Willie, 36, 40, 40

  McGriff, Fred, 35

  McGwire, Mark, 126

  Machado, Manny, 274

  Machine learning, 249

  Maddon, Joe, 207–8

  Maddux, Greg, 150, 217, 217, 227–28

  Maddux, Mike, 143

  Major League Baseball collusion, 113

  Mann, Steve, 188

  Mantle, Mickey, 253

  Maranville, Rabbit, 118, 119, 172

  Marichal, Juan, 222

  Martinez, Pedro, 20, 150, 221

  Matchup, pitching, 93

  Mattingly, Don, 39, 214

  Mays, Willie, 118, 119, 124

  Mazeroski, Bill, 172–73, 211, 213

  Mechanics, 104–5, 236–37

  Mejdal, Sig, 249, 257, 258, 262, 264–65

  Melancon, Mark, 161

  Messersmith, Andy, 222, 222

  Miami Marlins, 15, 241, 257

  Middleware, 269

  Miller, Andrew, 6, 49, 54–55, 208

  Mills, Eldon and Harlan, 158–59

  Milwaukee Brewers, 28, 77, 177

  Minnesota Twins, 25, 30, 208, 218

  MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), 245–46, 247–48, 250

  MLB Official Rule 10.04, 32

  MLB Official Rule 10.20, 46–47

  Molina, Jose, 179, 180

  Molina, Yadier, 177

  Molitor, Paul, 40, 118

  Moneyball (Lewis), 30, 110, 130, 208, 231, 271

  Montreal Expos, 20, 113

  Moore, Matt, 193–94

  Moore, Mike, 24

  Moreno, Omar, 61

  More singles defense, 169

  Morgan, Joe, 30, 209, 211, 213

  Morris, Jack, 218, 218–19, 228

  Moses, John, 58

  Moss, Brandon, 161

  Mozeliak, John, 262–63

  Murphy, Dale, 209

  Murphy, Daniel, 266

  Murray, Calvin, 34, 34

  Murray, Eddie, 118, 119–20

  Muscle fibers, 235

  Mussina, Mike, 226–27, 226–28, 228

  Nathan, Alan, 236

  Neuroscouting, 267–68

  New Yorker, 116

  New York Giants, 21–22

  New York Mets, 24, 53, 74, 145–46, 176

  New York Press, 32

  New York Times, 44–45

  New York Yankees, 15, 39, 48, 49, 50, 54–55, 100, 116–17, 125, 142, 223–25

  Neyer, Rob, 41

  Niedenfuer, Tom, 71

  No-doubles defense, 169

  Oakland A’s, 23, 30, 81, 130, 179, 217, 231, 262, 265

  Proven Closers, 52–55, 53

  OBP. See On-Base Percentage

  O’Day, Darren, 43–44

  O’Doul, Lefty, 143n

  Official scorers, 74–75

  fielding percentage and, 73–78

  RBIs and, 32–33

  unearned runs and, 141–42, 143

  On-Base Percentage (OBP), 14, 109–20, 126–28, 131, 134

  common formula, 111–12

  correlation to team R/G, 13

  missed MVP votes, 113–17

  “Outs,” 117–20

  on team level, 112–13

  On-base Plus Slugging (OPS), 13, 14, 127–32

  One-run leads, 47, 54

  Ordoñez, Magglio, 15

  Org charts, 232–33

  Ortiz, David, 88–89

  Ortiz, Russ, 24–25, 28

  Otis, Amos, 80

  Outfielder data, 250

  Outs, 129–30

  OPB and, 117–20

  productive, 96–102

  strikeouts, 80, 96, 125–26

  Owings, Chris, 136, 136, 190, 190–91

  PA. See Plate appearances

  Packard, Gene, 28

  Paige, Satchel, 224n

  Palmeiro, Rafael, 118, 119–20

  Palmer, Jim, 221

  Palmer, Pete, 109, 115n, 195

  The Hidden Game of Baseball, 158–59, 165, 188, 189–91, 195

  Paré, Jason, 257

  Park effects, 140, 187–88

  wRC+ (weighted Runs Created), 136–38

  Passan, Jeff, 44, 238

  Passed balls, 143, 176

  Pavlidis, Harry, 180

  Pedroia, Dustin, 236

  Pendleton, Terry, 16

 
Perez, Tony, 228

  Perpetua, Andrew, 256

  Perranoski, Ron, 221

  Perry, Gaylord, 29

  Petco Park, 136, 188, 222, 254, 267

  Peterson, Jace, 66

  Petriello, Mike, 253

  Philadelphia Phillies, 41, 49, 50, 80, 121

  Physical development of players, 234–35

  Pitch counts, 20–21

  Pitchers

  BABIP, 148–53

  bunts, 99–100

  command, 240–42

  determining value, 191–200

  Earned Run Average (ERA), 139–47, 151–55

  Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), 149, 152–53, 227

  framing pitch, 177–81

  in Hall of Fame, 219–28

  injuries, 237–38, 263–64

  lineup construction, 93–96

  mechanics, 237–38, 241

  save rule, 43–55

  scouting, 240–42

  sequencing pitches, 147, 191–92

  walk rate, 192, 240, 242

  Pitcher data, 246–47, 251–52, 263

  spin rate, 243, 251, 254–55

  Pitcher’s mound, 60, 125, 198

  Pitcher wins, 4, 19–30

  on career level, 29–30

  Pitch-framing, 177–81

  Pitch f/x, 246–47, 249, 270, 272–73

  “Pitching and Defense: How Much Control Do Hurlers Have?” (McCracken), 149–50

  Pitching command, 240–42

  Pitching mechanics, 237–38, 241

  Pitching Runs, 195–97

  Pitching value metrics, 191–200

  Pitch sequencing, 147, 191–92

  PitchSmart, 238

  Pittsburgh Pirates, 28, 161, 261–62

  Plate appearances, 11–12, 111–12, 187, 253

  player lineup and, 94–95

  Plate discipline, 120, 240

  “Platform year,” 51

  Platooning, 93

  Player development, 264–65

  Player mechanics, 104–5, 236–37

  Player power, 238–39

  Player’s body, 234–35

  Player talent, 166–67n, 238–40

  Player valuation, 184–202

  Player Win Average, 86–87, 158

  “Pop times,” 248

  Position values, 186

  Postseason, and statistical analysis, 184–202

  Power, 238–39

  Power spikes, 40

  Price, David, 27, 197

  Price, Jim, 32

  Probability. See Win Probability Added

  Proctor, Scott, 52

  Productive outs, 96–102

  Projectable body, 234–35

  Proven Closers, 47, 49, 50–55, 145

  Puckett, Kirby, 173, 173–74, 210, 214–15

  Puig Destroyer, 97

  Pujols, Albert, 126

  Qualcomm Stadium, 222

  Quisenberry, Dan, 221, 222

  Rabbit ball, 36, 40, 113, 125

  Radar-based system, 247–48, 251–52

  Radbourn, Hoss, 20

  Raines, Tim, 66–68, 67, 68, 215, 228

  Ramirez, Alexei, 190

  Ramirez, Jose, 101, 102

  Ramirez, Manny, 126

  Ramos, Wilson, 112, 127, 136, 136, 190, 190–91

  Randomness, 87, 94, 103–4

  Range Factor, 78–81, 79–81, 164–65

  Raw power, 238–39

  RA9 (run average, or runs allowed per 9 innings), 195–96

 

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