Custom Reports That BaseballHQ Uses for Posts

[wrledebuhr]

I'd like to perform some of the same statistical analysis that BaseballHQ editors perform but it seems like we, the users, do not have access to the same database.

For example, if I'd like to see the last 14 days or last 30 days of BaseballHQ stats for all SS or OF, etc, I don't see a way to run a report like that.

However, BaseballHQ writers seem to have access to this database.

What gives?

[RAY@HQ]

You're making some assumptions that are not true, that's "what gives". There are no staff-only tools. You guys have access to all of the same stuff we do.

For your specific example: the last 7/last 31 day stats are available in the YTD stat files. If you want to search on all OFs or all OFs, you just do some Excel filtering for that. (We're adding last7/last31 splits to MACK, but that's not available yet... to you or to us).

If you have other specific examples, post 'em here and we'll tell you how we generate them.

[wrledebuhr]

Thanks for the reply Ray!

OK, here's my scenario: I'm in a weekly league and need to decide what 3 OFs to start each week. What I'd like to do is run a report that gives me the last 7, 14, 21 & 28 days stats for each of these players in one report so it's easy to see at a glance who might have an edge.

I have all of my players in MACK but I don't see a way to run the report I'd like

Make sense?

For example, how do I see the last 14 days stats for

[Michael@HQ]

This doesn't match your ideal, but I sometimes use USAToday.com for those kind of statistics. Not too hard to load their statistics into Excel if you're comfortable with that sort of thing.

[Penfold]

What I'd like to do is run a report that gives me the last 7, 14, 21 & 28 days stats for each of these players in one report so it's easy to see at a glance who might have an edge.

That would let you see at a glance who had the edge, but won't tell you who will have the edge going forward.

Plucking one name out of the air (no, I'm not bitter): if I looked at Mitch Moreland 2 weeks ago (and who's to say I didn't):

He had a previous 14 days record of: 9R, 4HR, 9RBI, 0SB, .321 Avg

Had I picked him up then () I would have enjoyed this over the next fortnight: 2R, 1HR, 4RBI, 0SB, .257 Avg

Not quite the same.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and you would be better off studying the opponents, ballpark tendencies and your OF-ers historical performance against each probable pitcher (and the bullpen - who cares if your RF-er hits a grand slam in the 8th inning off some middle reliever!) than checking what they did last week, the week before that and the week before that.

IMHO

[RAY@HQ]

Thanks for the reply Ray!

OK, here's my scenario: I'm in a weekly league and need to decide what 3 OFs to start each week. What I'd like to do is run a report that gives me the last 7, 14, 21 & 28 days stats for each of these players in one report so it's easy to see at a glance who might have an edge.

I have all of my players in MACK but I don't see a way to run the report I'd like

Make sense?

For example, how do I see the last 14 days stats for

We don't have Last14 day stats available anywhere. Like I said, Last7 and Last31 are available in the stats files, and we'll be adding those to MACK at some point.

Penfold's answer below has a lot of truth in it. That's the biggest reason we don't make this data more prominently available... it's not all that actionable.

[PD@HQ]

That would let you see at a glance who had the edge, but won't tell you who will have the edge.

Exactly.

[Todd Zola]

and your OF-ers historical performance against each probable pitcher

This has also been shown to be non-predictive, regardless of what every announcer and color commentator wishes us to believe.

The best predictor remains the quality of the player himself.

[Whistler]

This has also been shown to be non-predictive, regardless of what every announcer and color commentator wishes us to believe.

The best predictor remains the quality of the player himself.

The caveat to this, is that the managers may also believe this, and may sit players if they have a poor batting history against a pitcher, or use that matchup for a rest day. So in daily transaction leagues, this may play a role, depending on the manager.

[Todd Zola]

The caveat to this, is that the managers may also believe this, and may sit players if they have a poor batting history against a pitcher, or use that matchup for a rest day. So in daily transaction leagues, this may play a role, depending on the manager.

IF managers believe this?

I know what you're saying -- perhaps my comment should be more in awe that so many actually do.

I don't think it impacts who the fantasy manager plays other than with respect to who is available.

Though whenever I make this point, I feel it is necessary to suggest that Dick Radatz fanning Mickey Mantle in 44 of 63 AB is an exception....

[PD@HQ]

I still wouldn't bench Mantle.

[Michael@HQ]

Though whenever I make this point, I feel it is necessary to suggest that Dick Radatz fanning Mickey Mantle in 44 of 63 AB is an exception....

Per baseball-reference.com, Radatz faced Mantle in 19 plate appearances or 16 at bats and struck him out 12 times. Mantle still managed a 753 OPS, far from his worse against an individual pitcher.

As pointed out in The Book by Tango / Dolphin / Lichtman, these individual pitcher/batter statistics are too small samples to hold any significant level of predictive value compared to other statistics that are readily available.

[Penfold]

This has also been shown to be non-predictive, regardless of what every announcer and color commentator wishes us to believe.

The best predictor remains the quality of the player himself.

It's a valid point - the batter who is 1 for 20 against a particular pitcher has still got one hit off that pitcher at some point, so who's to say he can't get another one the next time he faces him!

[Todd Zola]

Per baseball-reference.com, Radatz faced Mantle in 19 plate appearances or 16 at bats and struck him out 12 times. Mantle still managed a 753 OPS, far from his worse against an individual pitcher.

As pointed out in The Book by Tango / Dolphin / Lichtman, these individual pitcher/batter statistics are too small samples to hold any significant level of predictive value compared to other statistics that are readily available.

What's that about not believing everything you read?

http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/2005/03/mantle-v-radatz.html

[Todd Zola]

It's a valid point - the batter who is 1 for 20 against a particular pitcher has still got one hit off that pitcher at some point, so who's to say he can't get another one the next time he faces him!

It's a valid point because, as Michael references above, research validates it.

That said, Bill James does contend that extremes in small samples can be real. Of course, extremes is subjective.