The CSV Download Center is ... a Mess

[BrewerFan]

Hi,up until this year, I'd regularly download the stats/projections hitter and pitcher databases and then use an excel macro to merge the current databases with the ones from a few weeks to earlier.

The new version is extremely more difficult to use

1) There are now separate databases for stats vs. projections that have to be merged, which takes a while - even with player ID numbers - because the player list is different between the stats and projections databases.

2) Those different databases have stat columns that seem to be laid out in a totally random order, with some standard stat columns (like no BB/9 in one, no CMD in another) randomly missing from some of the databases, and almost no layout unformity between the stats and projections databases (ie, even the common stat columns are in wildly different orders between the stat/proj databases). And why does one pitch database do OBA and the other OOB instead?

I just looks like BBHQ split one usable database into 2 separate databases, put the stats in random orders, and then made them very non-uniform to make it very hard to line them up together.

Is this in final form, or is this just a temporary layout?

Sorry to be so critical, but Its no longer time-feasible to do any real merging of databases, which had long been my most-used part of the site. Thanks

[RAY@HQ]

This doesn't have to be final.... I'm aware that we no longer have the "Proj + YTD" data in one combined file. If there's a consensus that bringing that back would be valuable, we should be able to bring it back. That obviously wasn't a priority in the pre-season, but it was an open question at the time whether that combined file would be missed.

And yes, column order is easy to change, in fact I can do that myself.... it's just been a question of time to take a good look at it, plus I was trying to be very conscious of not changing the column layouts in the peak of draft season.

So... yes, there's absolutely an opportunity to make these files look like we want them to look for the long term. Feel free to drop suggestions here...

[BrewerFan]

I appreciate the response, Ray. Again, that file is like 75% of how I access info on BBHQ. Giving an option of a merged database would be a big help for those of us who download and merge databases.

Otherwise, the big suggestion is to have the stats and projections files be as uniform as possible for those of who us who want to use both. That means both in rows (it would be great to have same player list across both files for matching purposes, although I know it would feel like clutter to include on the projections list players out for the year,, and vice versa)

It also means making the column ordering as uniform as possible between the two databses for those of us who merge the two and need to line them up as much as is feasible given the same handful of distinct stats categories.

Thanks!

[BrewerFan]

Another exampe - the hitter stats file doesn't even have AB's as a category. Definitely needs a detailed look.

[RAY@HQ]

Agreed on all of this. I'm traveling this week, but next week I'll get into the process of standardizing to the "final" format, as well as investigating the return of a Proj+YTD file.

[Dodger"Blues"]

Re the YTD & Projected Stats. You can add my voice to "yes I would like to see a combined YTD & Projected Stats .csv file," as we used to have on the old site - much more convenient. And as also mentioned, no AB column in the YTD file. Currently, I have to go to a separate web site to get those numbers, which is a total pain in the ***.

[Dodger"Blues"]

On the subject of the YTD Stats .csv file. Can someone look into Robert Suarez's YTD stats. They require correction. The math tells me Suarez's YTD stats include Yoshinobu Yamamoto's stat line from 03/21. A quick look at Suarez's player page (game log) confirms just that. Something looked off-kilter over the past weekend, but didn't really dig into it until this morning.

Thank you for your time.

[RAY@HQ]

Yes, that's exactly what happened... Suarez got YY's bombing from Korea. I've logged already, should be fixed soon.

[birddogs_d]

Yes, Please bring back the YTD stats in a combined table with projections.