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Smart baseball : the story behind the old stats that are ruining the game, the new ones that are running it, and the right way to think about baseball / Keith Law

by Law, Keith, 1973-

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William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2017.

796.357021 L415s

Major League Baseball (Organization) -- Statistics.

Baseball -- Statistical methods.

Baseball -- United States -- Statistics.

Baseball -- Mathematical models.

9780062490223 (hc.)

viii, 291 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Includes index.

Part one. Smrt baseball -- Below average : the fundamental flaws of batting average -- Pitcher wins : one guy gets the credit for everyone else's work -- RBI : baseball's unreliable narrator -- Holtzman's folly : how the save rule has ruined baseball -- Stolen bases : crime only pays if you never get caught -- Fielding percentage : the absolute worst way to measure defense -- Bulfinch's baseball mythology : clutch hitters, lineup protection, and other things that don't exist -- Part two. Smart baseball -- OBP is life : why on-base percentage is the measure of a hitter -- The power and the glory : slugging percentage and OPS -- wOBA/WRC : the ultimate measure of the hitter (until the next one) -- ERA and the riddle of pitching versus defense -- WPA : measuring clutch, if you must -- The black box : how baseball teams measure defense today -- No puns intended : going to WAR to value the whole player -- Part three. Smarter baseball -- Applied math : looking at Hall of Fame elections using newer stats -- No trouble with the curve : how scouting works, and how the statistical revolution is changing it -- The next big thing is here, the revolution's near : MLB statcast -- The edge of tomorrow : where the future of stats might take us

"For decades, statistics such as batting average, saves recorded, and pitching won-lost records have been used to measure individual players' and teams' potential and success. But in the past fifteen years, a revolutionary new standard of measurement-- sabermetrics-- has been embraced by front offices in Major League Baseball and among fantasy baseball enthusiasts. But while sabermetrics is recognized as being smarter and more accurate, traditionalists, including journalists, fans, and managers, stubbornly believe that the 'old' way-- a combination of outdated numbers and "gut" instinct-- is still the best way. An ESPN analyst and senior baseball writer demolishes a century's worth of accepted wisdom, making the definitive case against the long-established view. Armed with concrete examples from different eras of baseball history, logic, a little math, and lively commentary, he shows how the allegiance to these numbers - dating back to the beginning of the professional game - is firmly rooted not in accuracy or success, but in baseball's irrational adherence to tradition. While Law gores sacred cows, from clutch performers to RBIs to the infamous save rule, he also demystifies sabermetrics, explaining what these "new" numbers really are and why they're vital. He also considers the game's future, examining how teams are using data to build future rosters; changes that will transform baseball and all of professional sports."--Provided by publisher.

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