An Introduction

Hello Fellow Fans!

Welcome to SaberSmart! We invite you to join us in increasing our understanding of sabermetrics and its vital importance to today's game.

Popular buzzwords like “big data” and “technological revolutions” are often used to keep us fans in the dark. While we are constantly exposed to the deluge of statistics and metrics broadcasted by commentators and analysts alike under the broad name of sabermetrics we find it difficult to sift through the data.

However, as major league teams are increasingly using these numbers to make important decisions, it becomes our responsibility as fans to understand the statistics in order to fully appreciate our team’s strategies. Together we will journey into the world of sabermetrics so we can begin to fathom the logic of the math.

​To those new to the concept, sabermetrics is the application of statistical and/or empirical analysis to baseball data in order to measure in-game activity. The term sabermetrics comes from the combination of saber, taken from the Society for American Baseball Research also known as S.A.B.R, and metrics coming from the Greek word metron meaning to measure. Sabermetrics was first coined by the pioneer and public face of the revolution itself, Bill James, around 1977. Keep an eye out for more posts about Bill James and his famous work, The Bill James Baseball Abstract.

Sabermetrics was created as a new way to analyze the sport through objective evidence. It is performed by evaluating players in every aspect of the game, specifically batting, pitching, and fielding. These evaluation measures appear to be more accurate than the older statistics.

For instance, here are partial examples showing traditional measurements versus statistics developed by sabermetricians in batting, pitching, and fielding:

BATTING

Batting Average        --->        On-Base Percentage Plus Slugging Percentage

PITCHING

Earned Runs Average (ERA)        --->        Defense Independent ERA

FIELDING

Fielding Percentage        --->        Defense Average

We plan on delving into these various metrics and understanding why each new metric is preferred over traditional measurements. However, first we think it is important to understand how sabermetrics became so vital to today’s game and why some saw its development as inevitable. Look out for that post in the coming days!

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns... we are looking forward to your conversation!

Until next time,

The SaberSmart Team