Sabermetrics: no, it’s not the latest aerobic workout craze, it’s the science of winning baseball. At least that’s what super-statistician Bill James says.
James, current advisor to the Boston Red Sox, claims those who focus on traditional stats like batting average and E.R.A. to analyze performance are way off base.
When your little league coach used to shout, “A walk’s as good as a hit” according to James’ sabermetrics, he was right. Stats like On Base Percentage, Runs Created, and DIPS: Defense Independent Pitching Statistics are the real numbers to crunch. And these modern measures are transforming teams like the Oakland A’s from Bad News Bears to playoff perennials.
Guests:
Bill James, baseball writer, analyst, and Senior Baseball Operations Advisor for the Boston Red Sox
Dan Okrent, baseball author, editor-at-large for Time, Inc., and founder of Rotisserie Baseball