science

Statcast

Statcast is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Statcast rather than just read about it. In short: Statcast is an automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB). Statcast was introduced to all thirty MLB stadiums in 2015.

Key takeaways

Statcast belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Statcast to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Statcast from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Statcast is an automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB). Statcast was introduced to all thirty MLB stadiums in 2015. The Statcast brand is also licensed to ESPN, which uses it to brand alternate statistical simulcasts of the network's games on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Usage Each MLB organization now has an analytics team, using Statcast data to gain a competitive advantage. Clubs are unwilling to disclose exactly how they are using the data, engaging in an "arms race" of data analysis. This "arms race" of new data that is becoming available from Statcast is a rapidly growing field within Major League Baseball teams and can be identified as the "analytics" group. This is just another way teams are attempting to gain a competitive edge amongst each other. Player accounts suggest Statcast data has replaced traditional metrics. For example, on the first day of spring training, Tampa Bay Rays hitters are told they will be measured by batted-ball exit velocity, not batting average. Also, Kris Bryant credits his improved performance in 2016 with changes he made in the off-season to adjust the launch angle of his hits. Statcast data can be used to prevent injuries by tracking physical performance metrics through the course of the season. Data can also be extended to team performance metrics. For example, analysts can chart a defensive team's ability to throw runners out at home from various points on the field, accounting for relay throw efficiency and speed. A third base coach armed with this information should have a heightened degree of situational awareness, which ultimately affects their decision to hold a runner at third or send them home. This should reduce the number of runners needlessly cut down at home; but one must also take into account the fact that this information may lead to overly cautious decisions during situations when the reward outweighs the risks. MLBAM also has a team of analysts that peruse the data and figure out what it means. This provides an additional resource for teams, resulting in queries from front office executives and even players. Broadcasters use Statcast to showcase player talents. The Statistics page on MLB.com now lists Statcast superlatives alongside the traditional hitting, pitching, and fielding metrics.

History

The PITCHf/x system, first used in the 2006 MLB postseason, is a camera-based system that can measure the trajectory, speed, spin, break, and location of a pitched ball. This provides objective data that can be used in combination with statistical outcomes to better predict the effectiveness of a pitcher or batter. This system was one of the first pieces of new baseball technology to just scrape the surface of being able to objectively quantify new metrics for how the baseball is moving in space. Statcast was first unveiled at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. It won the Alpha Award for best Analytics Innovation/Technology at the 2015 conference. The system saw limited use during the 2014 MLB season, as it was tested in three stadiums. It was installed in all 30 Major League ballparks beginning with the 2015 season. This technology integrates doppler radar and high definition video to measure the speed, acceleration, and other aspects for every player on the field. In the 2016 season, MLB Network aired "MLB Plus" companion broadcasts for its MLB Network Showcase games, which feature advanced analytics and usage of Statcast data. For the 2017 season, the TrackMan component of Statcast replaced the previous PITCHf/x system for official measurements of pitch speed. As official pitch speed readings are now based on maximum velocity (typically from the release of the pitch), rather than the speed measured 55 feet from home plate, there have been notable discrepancies in pitch speed reports between those reported in 2016 and 2017, with some pitches registering slightly higher speeds than with the previous system. In 2017, Statcast won a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award.

Terminology These are the relevant terms and definitions for Statcast output data. Pitching

Release: Measures the time from pitcher's first movement out of the stretch to the release point of the pitch. Extension: Measures the distance of the release point of the pitch from the front edge of the pitching rubber. Velocity: Measures the peak velocity of a pitch at any point from its release to the front edge of home plate. Perceived velocity: Velocity of the pitch at the release point normalized to the average release point for MLB pitchers. For example, a 90-mph pitch at a 54-inch release point will seem slower to the batter than a pitch of the same velocity thrown from a 56-inch release point. Spin rate: Measures the rate of spin by revolutions per minute of the ball at the point of the release from the pitcher's hand. Hitting

Exit velocity: Velocity of the ball off the bat on batted balls. Launch angle: The vertical angle at which the ball leaves the bat on a batted ball. Vector: Classifies the horizontal launch direction of the batted ball into five equal zones of 18 degrees each. Hang time: Measures the time from bat contact to the ball either hitting the ground/wall or contact by a fielder. Hit distance: Calculates the distance on the ground of the actual landing point of any ball hit into play, ground/wall or contact with fielder, regardless of outcome. Projected HR distance: Calculates the distance of projected landing point at ground level on over-the-fence home runs. Baserunning

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Statcast

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Statcast claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Statcast before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Statcast ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Statcast

In research: Statcast appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Statcast in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Statcast is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Major League Baseball mass media, Sports television technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Statcast outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Statcast in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Statcast means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Statcast out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Statcast in simple terms?

Statcast is an automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB). Statcast was introduced to all thirty MLB stadiums in 2015.

Why does Statcast matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Statcast?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Statcast.