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It's not just about Home Runs !
It's not just about Home Runs !
Based on the previous graph, it is clear that a team's success cannot be solely attributed to Home runs. In fact, a run can be scored through a variety of means, including hitting a home run or a combination of singles, double runs (2B), triple runs (3B), and home runs. To provide a comprehensive view, we have stacked all the different possibilities for scoring a run. The graph below displays the total hits, which includes the sum of singles, 2Bs, 3Bs, and HRs.
Findings from the graph -
Boston Red Sox have a higher number of hits, singles, and 2B indicating that they have a strong offensive game and are able to score runs without heavily relying on just Home runs.
Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays have a high number of home runs but fewer hits in total, which directly translates to their positions as 14th and 9th in the win% chart
We can deduce that while having players who can hit home runs is undoubtedly an asset to a team, relying solely on home runs can limit a team's overall success. It is important to have a well-rounded offense with a balance of hits, singles, double runs, and triple runs to maximize the chances of scoring runs and winning games. It is essential for teams to focus on developing a balanced offensive strategy that incorporates all scoring parameters.
Finding the Sweet Spot: Correlation between Hits and Strikeouts
Finding the Sweet Spot: Correlation between Hits and Strikeouts
Until now we know hits are an important factor to determine a team's offensive strength. Similarly, a strikeout is a way to get a batter out and is an important factor to determine a team's defensive strength. The graph displays a correlation between the number of hits and strikeouts for a team. We are interested in the teams with a high number of hits and the least number of strikeouts conceded.
Hits: sum of singles, 2Bs, 3Bs, and HRs.
Strikeout: If the batter swings at a pitch (ball thrown by the pitcher) and misses, or if he fails to swing at a pitch, it counts as a strike. If the batter accumulates three strikes, S/he is deemed strikeout.
Findings from the graph -
Boston Red Sox can be seen in the 4th quadrant which depicts a higher count of hits and a low number of strikeouts.
The Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox are two teams that have a high number of strikeouts and a low number of hits, which indicates a weakness in their offense. This lack of offensive strength is reflected in the teams' win percentage graph.
This insight directly correlates to a strong offense for Boston Red Sox over the years and has players who consistently hit the ball. Having a strong offense typically requires having players who can consistently hit the ball and put it in play. These players likely had good hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition, and swing mechanics that allowed them to consistently make contact with the ball and put it in play.
Are "Stolen Bases" a way for the Teams to Steal their Way to the Top?
Are "Stolen Bases" a way for the Teams to Steal their Way to the Top?
Stealing bases can be a highly contributing factor to team wins for several reasons and the Stolen base percentage (SB%) is a metric used to determine a player's success rate in stealing bases. It is computed by dividing SB by the total number of attempts.
If a player's SB is above 0.667, then his contribution to the team is positive, otherwise, his base-stealing activity is hurting the team. A good SB% is also an indication of a player's speed which is one of the most important factors in determining their ability to steal bases successfully. Players who are faster and have better acceleration and agility are generally able to get better jumps and take bigger leads off the bases, making it easier for them to steal. Teams with a greater number of base stealers have a better winning edge.
Quick base-stealers in each Team
Bar graph showing % of players in each team with +ve SB% value
Findings from the graph -
It is clearly evident from the graph that the win percentage is more for the teams with a higher number of base-stealers.
New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have a high number of players with good SB%. This shows that they tend to prioritize speed and base running in their overall strategy. This could have helped them create scoring opportunities and put pressure on the defense, which ultimately lead to more wins.
Apart from speed, players also need to have good instincts, timing, and technique to be successful at stealing bases. They need to be able to read pitchers' moves and get a good jump at the right time, as well as have good sliding and base-running skills to avoid being tagged out. More players from the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox seem to have a combination of these skills, making them the teams with more wins.
Is a high run differential key to success?
Is a high run differential key to success?
There are two scenarios in which a team interprets a run scored in a game. If a team scores a run while batting it is called an earned run (ER), whereas if a team, while fielding allows the opposing team to score a run it is called an allowed run (AR). Run Differential is the difference between ER and AR. It is a key metric to analyze a team's performance. A positive run differential signifies a strong team, whereas a negative run differential suggests a weaker team. The waterfall chart provides insight into the offensive and defensive performance of the teams.
Run Differential = Earned Run (ER) - Allowed Runs (AR)
Findings from the graph -
Boston Red Sox has a positive differential for almost all 10 years. This suggests that the Red Sox were a strong offensive team during this period.
The Yankees also had a positive run differential for most of the years, although their differential was not as consistently high as the Red Sox suggesting that they had some performance variability year to year.
The Orioles and White Sox had a consistently negative run differential throughout the period, indicating that they allowed more runs than they scored.
The above insights clearly show that consistent positive differential plays a key part in baseball offensive strategies; hence, Boston Red Sox is ranked highly in the win% chart.
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