Posts tagged mlb
Dodgers should start Austin Barnes
Dodgers should start Austin Barnes

ESPN’s David Schoenfield uses TruMedia’s umpire model for strikes looking above average, to recommend the Dodgers start Austin Barnes at catcher in World Series Game 6:

“Most importantly, Barnes is the better framer. According to ESPN TruMedia data during the postseason, Barnes has an expected called strike number of 119 and an actual called strike number of 129, so he's plus-10. Smith has an expected called strike number of 235 and 225 actual called strikes, so he's minus-10. Furthermore, with Smith catching, Gonsolin has allowed eight runs in 7⅔ innings.”

Full article: ESPN

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In the MediaRafe Andersonbaseball, mlb, espnComment
Nick Anderson not the same in playoffs
Nick Anderson not the same in playoffs

R.J. Anderson uses TruMedia’s research tool to examine Nick Anderson’s relative struggles this postseason:

“His velocity is up slightly, according to TruMedia, but the pitch is featuring less spin and rise. He seems to have compensated for that by throwing more curveballs. Anderson has tossed 73 breakers in his eight playoff outings, as compared to 83 in his 19 regular-season appearances.”

Full article: CBS Sports

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, CBSComment
How the Braves built their offense around Freeman

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle uses TruMedia’s research tool to examine how the Braves built a great offense around Freddie Freeman:

“Freeman compiled those numbers while leading the majors in both line-drive rate (41%) and total line drives hit (72), according to TruMedia. He ranked in the 41st percentile in pull rate and in the 82nd in terms of opposite-field hitting. Despite this, teams still shifted Freeman more than two-thirds of the time. According to baseballsavant.mlb.com, Freeman posted a .424 wOBA against shifts and a .509 mark against normal alignments. You can't win, really -- the league-average wOBA was .315.”

Full article: ESPN

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, baseball, espnComment
Ian Anderson's changeup is legendary

The Braves’ Ian Anderson puts them in position to beat anybody, writes ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle, and Anderson’s changeup is a huge reason why:

“Anderson has emerged as a phenom since making his big league debut earlier this season. With his 5⅔ shutout innings against Miami on Wednesday, his career line including two postseason starts is 5-2 with a 1.43 ERA, 58 strikeouts in 44 innings and only one home run allowed. The success of Anderson's changeup is becoming the stuff of legend. According to TruMedia, Anderson has thrown 234 changeups, against which opponents are hitting .079 with a .111 slugging percentage. Good luck with that, hitters.”

Full article: ESPN

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, espnComment
TruMedia is MLB industry standard

TruMedia was mentioned as the MLB industry standard in recent articles about Orioles and Pirates pitching staffs.

The Athletic: “All I have to do is go to TruMedia (Networks) or one of the other outlets that we have and say, ‘You see this? You’ve punched out 13 guys, you’ve had three put it in play, and they are all outs. You can absolutely abuse this pitch to both righties and lefties.’”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “From my experience, they’re not an organization that’s just free rein, do what you want, here’s your TruMedia account, go look at whatever you want, because I think a lot of players would get in their own heads about it,” (Class AA pitcher) Beau Sulser said. “They kind of go on a person-by-person basis.”

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, The AthleticComment
Analyzing possible MLB playoff matchups

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle uses TruMedia’s research tool analyze the teams that the favorites do (and don’t) want to face in the MLB playoffs…

The Yankees also have to keep the other team off the scoreboard. Their postseason pitching staff profiles as the hardest-throwing staff in the AL, the staff most heavily populated by lefty pitchers and with the most vicious bullpen. The Astros and Athletics have the best collective OPS figures against lefties. The teams that have been the most productive against what TruMedia defines as "hard" pitches are also the Astros and Athletics.

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, espnComment
Will fantasy stars like Rafael Devers keep it up?

ESPN’s Tim Heaney uses TruMedia’s baseball product as he examines whether fantasy stars like Rafael Devers will sustain their excellence in the second half of the season.

“ …many of us thought Devers was exposed in his second year, forgetting the hyped former prospect was just 21. … But four notable improvements stand out for me. First, he’s shined when he’s made contact. Here’s his progress from the past three years, per TruMedia. HIs 2019 numbers (for exit velocity and percent of batted balls at 95+ MPH) rank third and second, respectively, in the majors.”

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonespn, mlbComment
SHOULD YOU ADD THESE RED-HOT HITTERS?

TruMedia’s site powers Tim Heaney’s ESPN.com article, looking at four hot players to consider adding to your fantasy baseball team…

“After all, [Avisail Garcia’s] top-50 average exit velocity of 91.0 mph from 2017 to '19 ranks higher than those of Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Similar to what Tampa Bay faced with Diaz, Garcia's launch angle wasn't clicking; in 2019, he's crept upward at 11.2 degrees, up from 9.3 and 9.0, respectively, in turn increasing his homer potential. He's also targeted the 10-to-30-degree window, which is optimal for homers, 33.1 percent of the time -- a stark improvement from 2018's 24.6 percent.”

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonespn, mlbComment
Vlad Jr.'s early stats are promising

Among the first impressions that ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle has about Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.:

“Guerrero's advanced approach also shows up in his ability to spoil pitches by fouling them off, something that was evident a couple of times over the weekend. As a 20-year-old, he's fouled off 37.1 percent of the pitches he's swung at so far, according to TruMedia, which is a tick below the big league average. The same holds true for his ability to foul off two-strike offerings.”

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, espnComment
Are .300 hitters a thing of the past?

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wonders if .300 hitters are a thing of the past, exploring increased pitcher velocity and advancements in hitting analysis.

“The frequency with which Pujols now faces high-power velocity hasn't done him any favors, either. Remember that figure of 196 homers he has hit with the Angels? According to TruMedia, only four of them have come against the 1,050 pitches he has seen that have registered at 96 mph or greater. “

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, espnComment
What to Expect from Marwin Gonzalez
What to Expect from Marwin Gonzalez

Twins Daily, part of ESPN’s SweetSpot Network, uses TruMedia’s site to explore what to expect from Minnesota signing Marwin Gonzalez this season:

“Per ESPN/TruMedia’s data, in 2017, Gonzalez had a .794 batting average on line drives as a lefty. Coincidentally, only Logan Morrison (.805) had a better average. The rest of the league’s left-handed constituency sat at .687. So Gonzalez was performing well above the norm which may have been an indication to expect regression. Last year that number dropped to .613. Part of the reason for this is that his line drives carried a bit further than his previous season. In 2017 his average liner went 257 feet on average but was at 268 feet in 2018, meaning fewer liners dropped in front of the outfielders and infielders. Hitting the ball hard on a line is obviously preferential, however there are some diminishing returns when more liners become midrange instead of short or long.”

Full article: Twins Daily

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In the MediaRafe AndersonmlbComment
RED SOX LAUNCH WALLY'S MATH ACADEMY
RED SOX LAUNCH WALLY'S MATH ACADEMY

The Boston Red Sox have launched Wally’s Math Academy, a program that engages elementary and middle-school students by combining their passion for baseball with the math skills they are learning in school. Developed by TruMedia Networks, this powerful application allows educators to quickly generate classroom exercises and take-home worksheets that feature real-time sports content.

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In the Media, Press ReleaseRafe AndersonmlbComment
Forsythe Doesn't Chase Breaking Balls

Twins Daily, part of ESPN's blog network, uses TruMedia's product to analyze Logan Forsythe's approach...

"Forsythe rarely chases breaking balls out of the zone. According to ESPN/TruMedia’s data, since 2017 he’s reached on just 14.3 percent of breaking balls outside of the zone whereas the average hitter has done so on just over 30 percent. For comparison’s sake, Joe Mauer has even chased after 23 percent of breaking balls in that time. Forsythe will swing through some (8 percent, same as Mauer) and the results aren’t great when he does make contact (a .588 OPS vs .657 MLB average) but with baseball’s increasing reliance on nasty breaking balls, being able to wait back and keep from chasing after those pitches is rare skill set."

Full article: Twins Daily

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, espnComment
Circumstantial evidence for Jose Urena not great

ESPN.com's Bradford Doolittle writes that the circumstantial evidence for Jose Urena's innocence is not great, regarding his beaning of Ronald Acuna:

"Urena's 25 hit batters since last season are tied for the most in the majors with Cole Hamels and Charlie Morton. According to TruMedia research, his 17 hit batsmen since 2016 on fastballs are tied for the most in baseball."

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonespn, mlbComment
Juan Soto's Historic Year

Neil Greenberg uses TruMedia data and heat maps to show how good teenager Juan Soto has been this season:

"When Soto isn’t taking a free pass to first, he’s crushing balls: Soto is batting .367 with a 1.215 OPS against four-seam fastballs, sinkers and cutters, the highest OPS among batters who have seen at least 650 fastballs in 2018, per data from TruMedia. It doesn’t matter if the pitch is inside, outside, high or low — Soto finds a way to muscle it out of the park."

Full article: Washington Post

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In the MediaRafe AndersonWashington Post, mlbComment
Trout's pitches with runners on

For ESPN.com, Bradford Doolittle looks at Mike Trout's low RBI total and whether or not the pitches he sees are a factor...

"According to TruMedia, since the beginning of the 2016 season, 46.7 percent of the pitches Trout has seen with runners on base have been in the strike zone. That's lower than the league average (47.6 percent) but not shockingly low. There have been 103 hitters to see an even lower frequency of strikes in those spots."

Full article: ESPN.com

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, espnComment
Ramos' framing helps Phillies
Ramos' framing helps Phillies

For the Washington Post's Fancy Stats blog, Neil Greenberg used TruMedia's heat maps to show the extra strike calls that Wilson Ramos' framing provides:

"Ramos also gives the Phillies another catcher who can frame pitches. With Knapp behind the plate, Philadelphia’s pitchers get a called strike on pitches out of the zone 5.4 percent of the time, per TruMedia; Ramos has a 7.2 percent called-strike rate on those pitches, just slightly lower than Alfaro (7.8 percent). The league average is 7.2 percent."

Full article: Washington Post

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J.D. Martinez’s defense? What the numbers really say

TruMedia CTO Jeff Stern discusses defensive metrics with the Boston Red Sox' J.D. Martinez and The Boston Globe.

“The 40-minute conversation between Martinez and Stern was illuminating in trying to assess Martinez’s defense on an individual level and in understanding the evolution of modern defensive statistics — and whether those numbers seen by the public are the same as those used by teams or analysts such as the TruMedia team.”

Full article: The Boston Globe

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Could data save the bunt?

The Washington Post's Neil Greenberg wonders if the time has come to bring back the bunt. 

"According to data from TruMedia, there were 232 bunt singles last year from March to June, the lowest since 2008, the first year data is available. This season there were 226.

But it might be time to bring the bunt back, especially with more and more teams employing the shift to neutralize the league's most-predictable hitters."

Full article: ChicagoTribune.com (via Washington Post)

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In the MediaRafe Andersonmlb, Washington Post, Chicago TribuneComment