Bloops: Simmons Embraces the Revolution
Posted by Neil Paine on April 2, 2010
It took a while, but Simmons has been assimilated...
"I spent March reading and surfing sabermetrics for mostly selfish reasons ("I want this column to be better," "I want an edge for fantasy purposes," "I'm bored"), but also because the advanced formulas weren't nearly as intimidating as I had expected. Full disclosure: I, um ... I-I kinda like them. I even understand why stat junkies take it so personally whenever a mainstream guy spouts out an uninformed baseball opinion. It's too easy to be informed these days. Takes a lot less time than you might think.
Without further ado, here are seven statistics that -- assuming you aren't already saber-obsessed -- will help you understand baseball better without cluttering your mind, breaking your brain or causing you to feel like you're trapped in an AP calculus exam from hell. These stats make understanding baseball more fun. At least for me."
All I can say is, welcome to the party, Bill!
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:01 pm
I don't see FIP or WAR on pitcher pages. It's not clear where you find those stats
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:07 pm
They're not here. Different versions of WAR/WARP can be found at fangraphs.com, baseballprojection.com, or baseballprospectus.com. FIP can be found at fangraphs.
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:09 am
They're not here...
Yet.
Er, perhaps I've said too much.
April 3rd, 2010 at 1:12 am
it's crazy.... i literally just read that and came here to see if anyone else had seen it...
April 4th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
okay, except ballplayers are not just "strat-o-matic cards with arms and legs." they do occasionally do strategic things like try to hit the ball in the air with a runner on third, hit behind the runners, etc. I'm not saying that sabermetrics are pointless...they do tell you a lot about the quality of a player's performance over the long haul... but they don't completely define a player. Unless the player is totally clueless and one-dimensional in his approach, like some are.
April 9th, 2010 at 7:51 am
[...] Finally on board the sabermetrics revolution (ESPN). Bill Simmons? Oh, my. Good man, and glad to have you with us! [h/t Baseball-Reference] [...]