August 03, 2007

Bivariate Baseball Score Plots...?: OK...I came across this unbelievable baseball data crunching site. I don't have the faintest idea how one might use it. But surely, one might. And then one might tell me how I would apply it.

posted by vito90 to baseball at 03:35 PM - 6 comments

Here's their blog...

posted by vito90 at 03:38 PM on August 03, 2007

Huh?

posted by tahoemoj at 04:26 PM on August 03, 2007

It's basically a way to sum up a group of games at a glance by aggregating their scores onto a graph. For instance, the 2006 Toronto Blue Jays graph. If I look down the "4" column, it tells me that they scored exactly 4 runs in 22 of their games (the little dots up top), and the results were as follows (running down the column):

  • 4-13
  • 4-8
  • 4-7 (4 such games)
  • 4-6 (5 such games)
  • 4-5 (2 such games)
  • 4-3 (6 such games)
  • 4-2
  • 4-1
  • 4-0
Every game they played is plotted on the graph, so you can tell at a glance what kind of scores they tended to win or lose by.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 04:36 PM on August 03, 2007

I felt a little pang of regret when I found "Montreal Expos" under "Historical National League."

posted by Amateur at 08:51 AM on August 04, 2007

Bivariate data can be used to create any number of useful analyses. For example, one could create some measure of offensive efficiency per game by plotting runs vs the sum of hits, walks, and opponents errors. All it takes is a little skill with Microsoft Excel, the patience and skill to do the research, and a 10-year-old budding mathematician who is a sports fan and is willing to do the data entry for very little cash. I have a limited amount of the first requirement, and neither of the latter 2.

posted by Howard_T at 12:00 PM on August 04, 2007

Seems like a hell of a lot of work, but thanks for the explanation, DJE and Howard.

posted by tahoemoj at 02:06 PM on August 04, 2007

You're not logged in. Please log in or register.