Category: BASEBALL

Analyzing Max Exit Velocity (2020) In baseball analytics, exit velocity—specifically, the maximum exit velocity—is a critical metric. It measures the speed at which a ball leaves the bat, providing insights into a player’s power and potential impact. I am looking at max exit velocity data from the 2020 season. This visualization offers a clear and […]

Introduction When I think about baseball, arm strength is one of the first things that comes to mind—especially when comparing players across different positions. Whether it’s a third baseman making a quick throw across the diamond (Brooks Robinson, anyone?) or an outfielder firing a rocket from the warning track (Roberto Clemente was awesome), a strong […]

Catcher defense, especially the ability to block pitches, can often go unnoticed but significantly impact the game. Preventing wild pitches and passed balls can save crucial runs and give pitchers confidence to throw in the dirt when necessary. In 2023, several catchers distinguished themselves as exceptional blockers. Let’s take a look at some of the […]

In baseball, a catcher’s Pop Time can be the difference between catching a base-stealer and letting them slide in safely. Pop Time measures how quickly a catcher transfers the ball from their mitt to second base, factoring in the catcher’s footwork, exchange, and arm strength. This metric provides a more comprehensive assessment of a catcher’s […]

In baseball analytics, understanding a player’s whiff percentage—the rate at which they miss the ball when swinging—can offer key insights into their performance. A higher whiff percentage suggests a tendency to miss pitches, while a lower percentage indicates better contact with the ball. In this post, I explore whiff percentages from both leagues across several […]

I took a deeper dive into MLB Catchers for the year 2023. I found lots of interesting stuff. Let’s get to it. In this post, I decided to focus on catcher framing. Some catchers are better than others in fooling umpires that a ball is a strike. That is what catcher framing is all about. […]

Baseball Has a Strange Math Issue My last post was about the defensive capabilities of MLB catchers in 2023. I mentioned that there was more to come. As I was researching the follow-up post, I came across something bizarre. As soon as I stop violently shaking my head back and forth, I will show you […]

  This analysis examines the relationship between a team’s On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) and their total wins in Major League Baseball (MLB) over a five-year period from 2004 to 2008. OPS is a key statistic in baseball that combines on-base percentage and slugging percentage, providing a comprehensive measure of a player’s (or team’s) ability to […]

  This scatterplot visualizes the relationship between a baseball team’s WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) and the number of wins they achieved during the seasons from 2004 to 2008. I included both the AL and NL in this analysis. Each point on the graph represents a team in a specific year, with the […]

  The scatterplot titled “2018 AL WAR vs OPS (Colored by Position)” visually explores the relationship between Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) for players in the American League during the 2018 season. Each point on the plot represents a player, with OPS on the x-axis and WAR on the y-axis, and […]