Interactive Team Comparison Tool

(click to enlarge)

Before every new series the Mets play I create a saber-stat series preview over at Amazin' Avenue comparing the Metropolitans against their next opponent. I take seven statistics for both offense and defense, calculate the league average (NL and AL) and scale that to 100%, and then calculate the percent of league average both teams have achieved for each statistic.

I thought it might be interesting to use the same methodology to create an interactive visualization where you could select one offensive and one defensive statistic at a time and see how each team in the league compares.

The graphic above is a screen shot of the tool. I've embedded a version of the tool below the fold. The data in the tool is through Sunday night and going forward I will be refreshing the data on a weekly basis.

A few comments:

• With runs scored and runs against side-by-side we see some interesting things. First, the Athletics could be really special if only they could score. Not a lot, mind you, just better than 82% of league average. They are 22% better than league average at keeping runs off the board (best in the bigs). Just a little more offense and the AL West could look very different. Second, the Giants of 2011 are looking a lot like the Giants of 2010--great pitching, average hitting. Actually, their offense is 15% below league average this year. Third, say what you will about the Yankees (I certainly have), but their success this year has not been driven by either the hitting or the pitching/defense--it's been both. The Yanks are 16% better at run scoring and 14% better at run prevention than league average. Put them together, and you have a major league-best run differential.
• One reason the A's don't score? Their HR/FB ratio is dead last in all of baseball--and it's not even close. Right now the A's HR/FB ratio is 72% below league average. Yes, I know they don't exactly play in a home run friendly park, but that's incredible. The next lowest are the Twins at 46% of league average. As bad as they are at converting fly balls to home runs they are second best in the league at preventing big flys (129% of league average). The stingiest staff? The Giants at 133% of league average. Part of that is park, but the decline isn't as large with their own hitters (79% of league average). One can imagine the only way to neutralize the Yankees ridiculous HR/FB ratio (41% above league average) is to stick them in an away series against Oakland, Seattle, or San Diego.
• Yeah, the Phillies staff is special. As a hole, they have the best K/BB ratio in the bigs (31% better than league average). The offense is another story. The Phillies are hovering around league average in just about every category. The more surprising number is their HR/FB ratio--as a team they are 11% worse than league average.

Feel free to play around as much as you like with the tool. Note that you can sort each of the two columns. After you select a statistic from the drop down simply hover the mouse over the ascending bar chart icon below and select either ascending or descending. The two bar charts sort independently.

As I mentioned, I will update the data league-wide every week, so be sure to bookmark the tool and check back to see how teams compare. Be sure to select "wide" from the right hand side of the page to view it in all its glory.

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Graphic Guide: League average is scaled to 100. Scores higher than 100 indicate performance better than league average, less than 100 indicates performance worse than league average regardless of the statistic. For example, if a team has a FIP of 110% on the graph their actual FIP is 10% better than league average.

Offense

RS/G: Runs Scored per Game

wOBA: Weighted On-base Average

OBP: On-base Percentage

SLG: Slugging

BABIP: Batting Average on Balls in Play

LD%: Line-drive Percentage

HR/FB: Home run to Fly Ball Ratio

Defense

RA/G: Runs Against per Game

FIP: Fielding Independent Pitching

tERA: True Runs Allowed

LOB%: Left On-base Percentage

BABIP: Batting Average on Balls in Play

K/BB: Strikeouts to Walk Ratio

HR/FB: Home run to Fly Ball Ratio