Are statistics taking over baseball?
Focus on statistical data and probability is becoming more prevalent in the sports world as more information gets recorded and categorized. Photo by Forbes.com
As experts learn more about the game, more variables and factors need to be taken into consideration, leading to greater complexity and countless statistical values. Photo by Stratacomm.net
By Alex Bozek
Sports Editor
Sabermetrics might sound like a complicated concept, but it is actually quite simple. Sabermetrics refers to quantifying a person’s or object’s worth in relation to what they are being used for. In the case of athletes, their sabermetrics numbers refers to their athletic competency.
The art of sabermetrics has evolved immensely over the past decade, especially when it is applied to baseball. Numbers are used in baseball like they have never been used before, with statistics such as BA (batting average), ERA (earned run average), and WAR (wins above replacement) being evaluated to give more information about the player’s strengths.
Player performance data is essential to ball clubs who are trying to push their team closer to the ultimate goal of a championship as it enables them to make well-informed recruiting decisions.
Despite the evident advantages of sabermetrics, its impact on hiring decisions has not been as great as one would expect. General managers and owners consider the numbers, but they prioritize selecting players with consistent results on the field, which the numbers are unable to prove.
One of the traditional aspects of sabermetrics that should be ignored is a pitcher’s win – loss record. For example, this year’s Cy Young Award winner (the award for the best pitcher in baseball) was Jacob Degrom of the New York Mets. He had a record of 10 wins and 9 losses, which is the lowest in history for that award winner. This record should not affect the value of a pitcher. So many variables go into whether or not a pitcher gets awarded the win. How many runs your
team scores, fielding errors and how your pitchers perform after you are just a few of the factors.
One of the best examples of statistics taking over baseball was last year’s MLB season. Three of the league’s biggest superstars, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Mike Trout, signed record breaking contracts. In 2018, the three of them had managed to achieve high score ratings, and as a result they were highly sought after.
Their signings are among the most lucrative sports contract agreements. Harper signed up with the Philadelphia Phillies for 13 years to get $330 million. Manny Machado earned over $300 million for a 10-year contract with the San Diego Padres. The record for baseball career earnings was taken by Mike Trout with his re-signing with the Los Angeles Angeles for $430 million that will last 12 years.
Baseball has started to rely on these numbers more and more each year to stay relevant, but some have been annoyed with the shift in focus. Factors such as exit velocity and launch angle are ones that have become annoying to the average baseball fan who wants to simply watch a game on a Sunday afternoon.
Sabermetrics can have many different applications, and they should be used more often outside of the sports world, but it will always be related to the game of baseball. There will always be employees that are required to manage data and review previous games. There are only so many at-bats or
pitches you can watch, and looking at defensive positioning can become over analyzing a simply sport.
Baseball is yet again a game that is more than the numbers. Hitting the ball takes talent, and throwing a 95 MPH fastball is not common. It is not a calculator or computer’s fault. Sabermetrics are taking the human aspect out of the game. Sadly, 21st century baseball has become a numbers game, and it will most likely not change for the near future.