Petti: Optimizing batting orders across MLB
From SABR member Bill Petti at FanGraphs on December 5, 2012:
Of the many topics discussed in The Book is lineup optimization; essentially, the degree to which teams can extract extra runs throughout a season through better lineup construction.
The general consensus seems to be teams don’t do a great job at optimizing lineups. But the gains from proper optimization aren’t that great, anyway.
That being said, I was curious whether there’s evidence for league-wide changes in the ways players are deployed throughout lineups. Given the statistical research in the past few decades, is the league any more in line with setting lineups with the expressed idea of simply avoid outs?
Back in 2009, Sky Kalkman wrote a great piece at Beyond the Box Score about how teams should optimize their lineups based on The Book’s findings.
Read the full article here: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/are-league-wide-batting-orders-more-optimized/
Originally published: December 5, 2012. Last Updated: December 5, 2012.