Driveline

• Calling the Right Pitch: Investigating Effective Velocity at the MLB Level
  In a game transformed by the Sabermetric Revolution, where the most important components have been optimized and made more efficient, pitch sequencing has largely remained an art form resistant to the most technical analyses. Although many analysts have attempted to crack the pitch sequencing code, the expertise needed to select the right pitch at the […]
• Debunking Bat Speed Myths
  With the ability to measure bat speed and pair the findings to launch monitors and 3D motion devices, the claims on the relationship between bat speed and batted-ball characteristics can finally be examined. Coaches opinions on training bat speed vary, with some claiming that exit velocity will often increase with a decrease in a hitter’s […]
• Using a Test/Retest Model for Position Players
  At the end of each summer, players return from their summer teams or training regiments to their respective schools. Each player tends to use his time in the off-season a little differently. He can go off to the Northwoods and play 70+ games, cover his windows with trash bags to get sleep in the Canada […]
• Developing More With Less: Does Efficiency in Player Development Lead to Success?
  Can we accurately evaluate an organization’s ability to acquire and develop players relative to their competitors? In part one of our mini-series looking at the overall state of minor league player acquisition and development, we attempted to answer that question by building a database of over 8,000 minor league players in order to assess each […]
• Is Finding a Star Nothing But Luck?: Quantifying the Effectiveness of MLB Player Development
  As we’ve continued along with The Business Case For Player Development Series, we’ve attempted to evaluate and analyze specific subcomponents of player development in today’s rapidly changing landscape. These micro-level analyses have been useful in identifying the cost of inefficiencies that still occur within player development; however, they have also been limited when attempting to […]