"Uncovering the Numbers: A Former Pro Baseball Player's Insight into Game Stats"

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview a former professional baseball player. Although I will keep his name private, I had the chance to discuss different views on baseball statistics. Here's what he had to say.

zakw2010: Did you ever pay attention to your stats when you played professionally?

Professional: I did, even though you're not meant to. It's challenging because I enjoy math and being good at things. It's difficult to pitch on the mound while also analyzing my ERA or if I walk a guy and need to strike out two more guys to maintain a healthy ratio. WHIP was only beginning to gain traction as a significant statistic. It's a little more difficult to calculate when you're on the mound, but the opponent's batting average, OBA, WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), and OBA were all metrics I sought to keep low. But, for the most part, I was focused on runs and my ERA.

ZW: From a pitcher's standpoint, what is the most important stat, if there is one?

Pro: ERA. It is the amount of runs a pitcher lets up in a nine-inning game on average, and the lower the ERA, the greater your team's chances of winning. Thus, you may have a pitcher whose WHIP or OBA is higher if he gives up a lot of hits or walks. But in the end, don't you want a guy who provides you the best opportunity to succeed? They prefer a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, but does it matter if your ERA is 7.00? This indicates that you won't have much chance to win and will give up seven runs in a game. I have always paid attention to that one.

ZW: What do you think about Statcast? Do you like it? Does it detract from the game's purpose?

Pro: I believe it extracts many helpful information and instructional resources. For example, it would be fantastic if I could measure a child's curveball's spin rate and assist him in raising it. However, you eventually reach your boundaries with everyone. Throwing distances of 105, 100, and 90 are not attained by everyone. Thus, you will ultimately need to acquire pitching skills. Sadly, the Statcast era has caused attention to move toward players with robust analytics rather than pitchers who may not be great but allow many home runs. In addition, players who hit home runs receive more attention than those who bat well and put the ball in play when doing so could benefit the team. The number of strikeouts has increased. Walks may be close, but I'm unsure if they're up or down. Double-play balls are presumably declining because they are incentivizing players to strike out more often than not. I also object to the shift, which was modified in the new regulations. The hitters demonstrated their incompetence by failing to smash the ball to the point where the shift gave them more space on the field, not because they were foolish.

ZW: As a player who's played in multiple leagues worldwide, how do different countries view stats? Is it similar to the U.S.?

Pro: some places don't have access to expensive products like HitTrax. To increase ratings, they are attempting to provide fans with as much information as possible and promote the "attractive" information. The business side is that you make more money if you can draw more players to your games. So, how do we go about doing this? The goal is to establish a successful team first. Big-name players are the next best thing, followed by impressive statistics like home runs and strong throwers, which will enthrall spectators and increase game attendance. Everything has a business model. Sadly, many talented baseball players no longer have the opportunity because they lack the elite statistical credentials in high demand. In response to your inquiry, the fundamentals were the only statistics available in Germany. If you dug deeper into our team's program, I could view the weak-hit ball percentages, which I found appealing. Those didn't seem like a significant portion to me. It was only basic stats when I played in the American Association. There were no complex items like WAR or anything similar.

ZW: Honestly, I'm still unsure about what WAR exactly is.

Pro: In other words, it's asking how many more games you will win with Mike Trout than without him or if you can find another player to take Mike Trout's place. There is only one Mike Trout, of course. How many extra victories would your team have with Mike Trout if you traded him in for a poor player?

ZW: Imagine I'm a senior in high school. I want to go to a D2 college. What would the coaches be looking for?

Pro: Grades will always be the deciding factor at any NCAA school. D2s don't focus as much on academia. They will search for players willing to play D2, who might wish to have scholarship money, and who need financial aid at the Division I level. That's a lot of ego. Therefore, I did not receive the significant scholarships granted by Division I institutions, but I received full scholarships from both Division II schools. According to a full-ride scholarship, I'm not required to pay for education. At least I don't have to pay a lot for school. In addition, they will present you with chances because they have financial stakes in you.

This is the aspect related to business. Having money invested in you will open up more options for you. A first-round draft is more likely to seize opportunities than a 20th-round draft. Thus, signing for a million or more is the first round, and signing for twenty thousand is the twentieth. Therefore, cutting that individual go and accepting his $20,000 loss is less complicated than cutting the first rounder loose and accepting his multi-million dollar loss. I take it that the scholarships work in the same way. If they invest more money in you, you will have more opportunities. They may remove your scholarship after the school year if you don't perform. However, it is not to say that the boys who are not awarded scholarships don't play.

However, I chose to attend D2 instead of college since I could afford it and was receiving more money in the form of scholarships. I visited JUCO as well. Guys attend JUCO for a purpose. It goes beyond academics. In baseball, it's not often, but it can happen not to be drafted or to be drafted while you're a senior in high school. Alternatively, suppose you were selected, perhaps even to the point where scouts were phoning you but were not selected. They may pressure you to enroll in a JUCO since, if you do, you may be selected in the first and second rounds of the draft.

Let's say it's a Division II or Division III four-year university instead of a junior college. If so, you won't be eligible for academic drafts until after your junior year. That implies that you must play or complete three years of college before you are selected in the draft. It's an odd rule, but many players who aspire to play professionally are pushed to attend junior college. D3s have a strong academic foundation. D3s have greater scholarly expertise. NAIA is another option. Consider NCAA D1, D2, and D3. After NAIA, there is JUCO D1, D2, and D3. In college, baseball is the easiest sport to play.

ZW: Final question: are stats vital from a player's standpoint?

Pro: Not any longer. People used to claim that this guy could throw a little bit because he was a hard thrower who couldn't hit a strike. Or he was a real jerk to his teammates despite his great throwing ability. They have a response on the team just like that. And because they didn't want it, guys wouldn't even give him the time of day. However, stats are now the focus. More crucially, the drive is velocity. The TV stat tracker is one of the two most essential elements in the track—both the exit velocity and a fastball's velocity. Subsequently, the spin rate of breaking balls is considered.

Fans want to watch both brutal hits and tough throws of balls. These days, they're hiring guys who can do that without considering their character or ability to throw a strike because they believe that throwing hard is the only thing they can do, which increases sales. It's absurd that everyone is only concerned with selling tickets these days. The Padres, Yankees, and Dodgers aren't chasing big names because they don't believe it will help them win a World Series. All they want is for the stadium to be packed. And the Padres showed it. They were considered to be the NL West's top team. Not even the playoffs were in their sights. Though it's terrible because they can profit from it, baseball is a favorite pastime of those who require extra help comprehending sports.