Okay, so today I wanted to dig into the Texas Rangers vs. Red Sox game and really look at some player stats. I’m a huge baseball fan, and sometimes I just like to go beyond the box score, you know?
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to find a good source for the data. there are a bunch of sports websites, but I like to use the official sources when I can. they tend to have the most detailed and, in my opinion, accurate information.
Diving into the Data
Once I had the site open, I started looking at individual player performances. I wasn’t just interested in the basic stuff like hits and runs. I wanted to see things like:
- Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP): This can be a good indicator of luck, both good and bad.
- Walk Rate (BB%): How often a player gets walked.
- Strikeout Rate (K%): How often a player strikes out.
- For Pitchers: I looked at things like strikeouts per nine innings (K/9), walks per nine innings (BB/9), and their overall ERA.
I created a simple spreadsheet to save what I found.
Making Sense of It All
After gathering all the numbers, I wanted to compare them to some league averages and maybe even the player’s own historical stats. This helps to see if someone is overperforming, underperforming, or right on track. For example, if a player’s BABIP is way higher than their career average, they might be due for some regression (meaning they might not keep up that hot streak).
I spent a good chunk of time just comparing numbers and looking for trends. It’s kind of like detective work, trying to piece together the story of the game beyond just who won and who lost.
My Findings (The Fun Part!)
I will list some interesting things I found, though without giving specific names (since I don’t have actual data in front of me right now):
- One batter, known for power, had a surprisingly low number of extra-base hits in the game. Could mean he’s in a slump, or maybe the opposing pitchers were just really good that day.
- A relief pitcher had a much higher walk rate than usual. Maybe he was struggling with his control, or perhaps the strike zone was a little tight.
- One player had an unusually high BABIP, suggesting they might have gotten a bit lucky with where their hits landed.
I find this more rewarding than just looking at the final score. It can also be a good foundation for thinking about future games or even for fantasy baseball. It helps me to understand the game better, and I just enjoy the process of digging into the numbers.
it is a simple prictice I did,I think it is very intersting.
