Posts Tagged ‘Ron Shandler’
Is a .400 BABIP sustainable?
My ESPN column for the week. Batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is one of those leading indicator metrics that can identify potential outlying performances. It is not a perfect gauge, but extremes are rarely sustainable. Pitchers’ BABIPs tend to regress to something near .300. Batters’ BABIPs tend to regress to their own established…
Read MoreNew views on in-season BABS
We are 10 weeks in and the BABS database was updated over the weekend. Your survey results have gotten me to rethink how we use BABS during the season, so I’ve started to reimagine different presentations of the data. First, some clarifications from recent reader emails. The “2017p” line in the database represents our pre-season…
Read MoreFirst round churn after 9 weeks
This is my ESPN Insider column for the week. There is a harsh reality we must buy into: about two-thirds of the players we draft in the first round will not earn back their draft spot. In a 15-team league, that means 10 owners will take a loss on their first round pick; only five…
Read MoreREADER SURVEY: Responses to your comments
Your survey comments are insightful and help shape the content on this site. Rather than have those comments just sit in a file on my computer, I thought it might benefit everyone to take a peek behind the curtain. In this way, you can see how others view BABS and the website, and what issues…
Read MoreTrading Trout: Should you liquidate a long-term injury?
This is a special bonus ESPN Insider column for the week. When Freddie Freeman was injured two weeks ago, his fantasy owners cried out in agony: “He’s the core of my offense! What am I going to do?! My team is toast!” As a Freeman owner myself, I felt the pain. I paid a hefty…
Read MoreNot-so-bold June projections
This is my ESPN Insider column for the week. A month ago, I wrote a column called, “No-so-bold May projections.” The focus was on players whose underlying metrics pointed to a change in fortunes and a rough time frame for when those fortunes might change. I received a bunch of good feedback on that piece,…
Read MoreReader Survey: Is BABS here to stay?
I introduced the Broad Assessment Balance Sheet (BABS) back in January 2016. It arrived as the logical evolution of the Mayberry Method and other “embrace imprecision” philosophies that I have written about for four or five years. BABS has made some noise. It seems that nearly every radio interview I do includes some discussion of…
Read MoreCould we have planned around the injury problem?
This is my ESPN Insider column for the week. Back on May 11, I received a trade offer in the Tout Wars Mixed Auction league. At the end of the email, the owner added this P.S.: I’m jealous of how healthy your roster is. I hadn’t really thought about it at the time, but he…
Read MoreCan BABS really be used during the season?
In the recent readership survey, I received no fewer than a dozen comments about using BABS during the season. “How do I use it? How can it help me? Is it even a viable tool?” These are difficult questions. We want to be able to use BABS during the season. Most of you have bought…
Read MoreOur overflowing disabled lists
This is my ESPN Insider column for the week. When we draft our teams each year, we count on the higher-ranked players to be more productive, more reliable and to spend more time on the field than on the disabled list. It’s a valiant expectation. But history shows that the level of attrition among baseball’s…
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