Graph of the Day: Oakland A's HITf/x

by Harry Pavlidis on Jun 11, 2009 3:16 PM EDT

Is it just me, or have we failed to produce gratuitous Oakland A's content the past couple months? I know I haven't produced enough HITf/x visuals (cough), so here's one to make-up for it. Killing two birds with one stone.

Using average batted ball characteristics isn't the best way to do this, but what the heck. Click to enlarge.

Data from April 2009 sample provided by Sportvision.

Tweet Comment 13 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

So basically, pull hitters/up the mdidle hitters/opposite way hitters? Sweet!

The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
Kevin Frandsen, come back!

by WalrusMan on Jun 11, 2009 3:22 PM EDT reply actions

basically

I’m working on another graph that shows the distribution of hits as opposed to the average hit. Baby steps…

by Harry Pavlidis on Jun 11, 2009 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions

So, given this data...

could you assign an average run value to each player’s Hitf/x, or would that be misleading?

by jwiscarson on Jun 11, 2009 4:02 PM EDT reply actions

This what you're talking about?

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/6/11/905945/hitf-x-with-heat-maps

by Harry Pavlidis on Jun 11, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Did you mean...

this?

I did actually, but I meant it in this specific case where you’ve created an average batted balls. I was wondering more if assigning a run value to the points plotted above would be useful data, since it would definitely be easier to digest than a larger heat map.

I guess my overall point is that while most of this data is neat and useful, it’s difficult to convey that usefulness easily to someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time poring over data. The graph you created is easy to read and understand.

by jwiscarson on Jun 11, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

I agree, the challenge is almost always how to convey the info. I spend a fair amount of time dealing with such stuff in a business environment, so I’ve learned to start simple and let the consumer drill down. Not that I’ve managed to create something that neat-o for this yet.

So, you’re looking for run value by speed/angle/landing spot? If so, I’m thinking about how to do that by player right now, and that should evolve. Hopefully.

by Harry Pavlidis on Jun 11, 2009 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Spot on.

I’m a programmer by trade, but I minored in English in college (with a focus on technical writing) and have spent a fair amount of time trying to marry useful data to simple presentations.

If SBN had some serious cash and programming team willing to frustrate itself to no end, I would suggest integration with a set of web-based controls I use at work, but that would probably result in an increased staff suicide rate, which is generally bad for business.

by jwiscarson on Jun 11, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions