Understanding Sabermetrics: An Introduction to the Science of Baseball Statistics » (New Edition)

Gabriel B. Costa is on extended leave from Seton Hall University and is a math professor and associate chaplain at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Michael R. Huber is an associate professor of math at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. John T. Saccoman is an associate professor of mathematics and computer science at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Born in the 1970s as a radical challenge to traditional baseball statistics, sabermetrics has developed into a new way of understanding many aspects of the game. Its practitioners have created new statistical tools and revised our old ways of thinking about established measures such as the batting average, tactics such as the sacrifice bunt, and even who among the greats was truly great.
This introduction to the basics of sabermetric analysis explains concepts including normalization, peak versus career performance, linear weights and runs created, as well as popular calculations like OPS (On-Base plus Slugging), WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched), PF (Park Factor) and others increasingly used by baseball fans.

Acknowledgments     ix
Pre-Game: Abbreviations and Formulas     xiii
Batting Practice: Introduction and Statistics     1
Infield Practice: Sabermetrical Reasoning     7
Simple Additive Formulas     13
Peak versus Career Performance     22
The Equivalence Coefficient     30
The Linear Weights School - Offense     40
The Linear Weights School - Pitching and Defense     56
The Runs-Created School     67
Win Shares     78
Seventh-Inning Stretch: Non-Sabermetrical Factors     91
Park Effects     95
Creating Measures and Doing Sabermetrics - Some Examples     105
Extra Innings: Beyond Sabermetrics     113
Clubhouse: Answers to Problems     133
Sabermetrics in the Classroom - A Primer     149
References: An Informal Bibliography and Web sites     171
Index     173
About the Authors     176