Mains: One not-so-fine day and a pitcher’s ERA
From SABR member Rob Mains at Baseball Prospectus on March 6, 2017:
Mitchel Lichtman (aka MGL), sabermetrician and co-author of The Book, recently had a post on his blog that I liked a lot for two reasons.
First, he presented some research, came to a conclusion, published, then did some more work, refined his techniques, came to a different conclusion, and published that as well. I’m over-simplifying here, but the point is that in a world in which medical researchers bury results they don’t like and the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year (post-truth, if you don’t want to click the link) reflects how “objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief,” it’s reassuring that our little corner still values the scientific method and full disclosure.
Second, his findings are interesting! His article’s title lays out his research: “What does it mean when a pitcher has a few really bad starts that mess with his ERA?”
Read the full article here (subscription required): http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=31298
Originally published: March 6, 2017. Last Updated: March 6, 2017.