High BABIP, Causes?

[Trendsetters]

My staff currently sits in 16th place in the league in runs allowed, hits, avg against and BABIP, which I take to mean that everything the opposition is hitting is finding a hole. My BABIP is currently .315.

What can effect aside from better pitchers? Better defense, more specifically better range? In know I am in the negatives in defensive efficiency.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

[Arroyos]

The first thing to consider is the statistic itself. Does it reveal anything useful? Many--if not most--of the trendy new statistics reveal nothing useful. The speed of fastballs, the angle of home runs, the velocity of hit balls, none of these mean a damn thing to the player on the field. Ditto BABIP. Since it is a stat a manager cannot affect by changing personnel or lineups or rotations, it's of no use to us.

Remember the wisdom of Mark Twain: "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

[JayA]

The first thing to consider is the statistic itself. Does it reveal anything useful? Many--if not most--of the trendy new statistics reveal nothing useful. The speed of fastballs, the angle of home runs, the velocity of hit balls, none of these mean a damn thing to the player on the field. Ditto BABIP. Since it is a stat a manager cannot affect by changing personnel or lineups or rotations, it's of no use to us.

Remember the wisdom of Mark Twain: "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Couldn't disagree with this more. There are plenty of ways you can impact BABIP: high range players can get to balls that other players can't. Ditto great arms--the faster you can get the ball over to force an out, the lower the average on plays in field are going to be. High control pitchers can get balls into the right parts of the strike zone to create easier outs. Defensive shifts can make outs easier once balls are in play. I doubt OOTP incorporates it, but even a player's height and reach (particularly at 1B) can impact the average on balls in play. Contrary to what Bob says, this is actually one of the easiest stats to measure and impact in all of baseball and you can do it from either a personnel or a strategy standpoint.

I think you picked the wrong Mark Twain quote on that one, Bob. This seems more like you were thinking of: "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure."

[Arroyos]

The first thing to consider is the statistic itself. Does it reveal anything useful? Many--if not most--of the trendy new statistics reveal nothing useful. The speed of fastballs, the angle of home runs, the velocity of hit balls, none of these mean a damn thing to the player on the field. Ditto BABIP. Since it is a stat a manager cannot affect by changing personnel or lineups or rotations, it's of no use to us.

Remember the wisdom of Mark Twain: "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Couldn't disagree with this more. There are plenty of ways you can impact BABIP: high range players can get to balls that other players can't. Ditto great arms--the faster you can get the ball over to force an out, the lower the average on plays in field are going to be. High control pitchers can get balls into the right parts of the strike zone to create easier outs. Defensive shifts can make outs easier once balls are in play. I doubt OOTP incorporates it, but even a player's height and reach (particularly at 1B) can impact the average on balls in play. Contrary to what Bob says, this is actually one of the easiest stats to measure and impact in all of baseball and you can do it from either a personnel or a strategy standpoint.

I think you picked the wrong Mark Twain quote on that one, Bob. This seems more like you were thinking of: "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure."

Oh, Jay, you take it all too seriously. You certainly take me and Twain too seriously. Life is a joke, baseball is a laugher.

[JayA]

The first thing to consider is the statistic itself. Does it reveal anything useful? Many--if not most--of the trendy new statistics reveal nothing useful. The speed of fastballs, the angle of home runs, the velocity of hit balls, none of these mean a damn thing to the player on the field. Ditto BABIP. Since it is a stat a manager cannot affect by changing personnel or lineups or rotations, it's of no use to us.

Remember the wisdom of Mark Twain: "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Couldn't disagree with this more. There are plenty of ways you can impact BABIP: high range players can get to balls that other players can't. Ditto great arms--the faster you can get the ball over to force an out, the lower the average on plays in field are going to be. High control pitchers can get balls into the right parts of the strike zone to create easier outs. Defensive shifts can make outs easier once balls are in play. I doubt OOTP incorporates it, but even a player's height and reach (particularly at 1B) can impact the average on balls in play. Contrary to what Bob says, this is actually one of the easiest stats to measure and impact in all of baseball and you can do it from either a personnel or a strategy standpoint.

I think you picked the wrong Mark Twain quote on that one, Bob. This seems more like you were thinking of: "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure."

Oh, Jay, you take it all too seriously. You certainly take me and Twain too seriously. Life is a joke, baseball is a laugher.

hahaha! Cheers, brotha. It's really more of taking my numbers seriously.

[Arroyos]

Numbers? Seriously? Humans only invented numbers because they ran out of fingers and toes. Like any human invention, they are fraught with problems, inclined toward error, and often misleading. Best to use sparingly. Don't make the mistake of believing in them. As Mark Twain never said, "A number is a feeble substitute for an idea. Don't count on them."