WHAT SABERMETRICS CAN DO IN 2016. I posted here two years ago about what changes were expected in the statistical analysis of baseball from the arrival of big data. This article by David Schoenfield on the ESPN site reports on some of the results reported at the March SABR Analytics Conference.
Two examples from last season show what some of the improved measurements can do:
*Exit velocity—the speed of a batted ball when it leaves the bat—is now being measured. Schoenfeld points out that decreases in exit velocity show the periods in 20015 when Ryan Zimmerman and Mike Trout had poorer batting results while they were playing through injuries.
A pitcher, Jeurys Familia, who averaged 2200 RPM on his four-seam fastball during the regular season, threw one in the World Series with an RPM of 2300, resulting in a flatter pitch without much sink—and a home run.