Teaching Statistics Using Baseball is a collection of case studies and exercises applying statistical and probabilistic thinking to the game of baseball. Baseball is the most statistical of all sports since players are identified and evaluated by their corresponding hitting and pitching statistics. There is an active effort by people in the baseball community to learn more about baseball performance and strategy by the use of statistics. This book illustrates basic methods of data analysis and probability models by means of baseball statistics collected on players and teams. Students often have difficulty learning statistics ideas since they are explained using examples that are foreign to the students. The idea of the book is to describe statistical thinking in a context (that is, baseball) that will be familiar and interesting to students. The book is organized using a same structure as most introductory statistics texts. There are chapters on the analysis on a single batch of data, followed with chapters on comparing batches of data and relationships. There are chapters on probability models and on statistical inference. The book can be used as the framework for a one-semester introductory statistics class focused on baseball or sports. This type of class has been taught at Bowling Green State University. It may be very suitable for a statistics class for students with sports-related majors, such as sports management or sports medicine. Alternately, the book can be used as a resource for instructors who wish to infuse their present course in probability or statistics with applications from baseball. The second edition of Teaching Statistics follows the same structure as the first edition, where the case studies and exercises have been replaced by modern players and teams, and the new types of baseball data from the PitchFX system and fangraphs.com are incorporated into the text.
Author(s): Jim Albert
Series: AMS/MAA Textbooks, 34
Edition: 3
Publisher: American Mathematical Society
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 256
City: Providence
Cover
Half title
Copyright
Title
Contents
Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
1 An Introduction to Baseball Statistics
2 Exploring a Single Batch of Baseball Data
2.1 Looking at Teams' Offensive Statistics
2.2 A Tribute to Derek Jeter
2.3 A Tribute to Randy Johnson
2.4 Analyzing Baseball Attendance
2.5 Manager Statistics: the Use of Sacrifice Bunts
2.6 Exercises
3 Comparing Batches and Standardization
3.1 Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez
3.2 Robin Roberts and Whitey Ford
3.3 Home Runs: A Comparison of Four Seasons
3.4 Slugging Percentages are Normal
3.5 Great Batting Averages
3.6 Exercises
4 Relationships Between Measurement Variables
4.1 Relationships in Team Offensive Statistics
4.2 Runs and Offensive Statistics
4.3 Most Valuable Hitting Statistics
4.4 A New Measure of Offensive Performance
4.5 How Important is a Run?
4.6 Baseball Players Regress to the Mean
4.7 Exercises
5 Introduction to Probability Using Tabletop Games
5.1 What is Chris Davis' Home Run Probability?
5.2 Big League Baseball
5.3 All-Star Baseball
5.4 Strat-O-Matic Baseball
5.5 Exercises
6 Probability Distributions and Baseball
6.1 The Binomial Distribution and Hits per Game
6.2 Modeling Runs Scored: Getting on Base
6.3 Modeling Runs Scored: Advancing the Runners to Home
6.4 Exercises
7 Introduction to Statistical Inference
7.1 Ability and Performance
7.2 Simulating a Batter's Performance if His Ability is Known
7.3 Learning About a Batter's Ability
7.4 Interval Estimates for Ability
7.5 Comparing Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn
7.6 Exercises
8 Topics in Statistical Inference
8.1 Situational Hitting Statistics for Mike Trout
8.2 Observed Situational Effects for Many Players
8.3 Modeling On-Base Percentages for Many Players
8.4 Models for Situational Effects
8.5 Is Michael Brantley Streaky?
8.6 A Streaky Die
8.7 Exercises
9 Modeling Baseball Using a Markov Chain
9.1 Introduction to a Markov Chain
9.2 A Half-inning of Baseball as a Markov Chain
9.3 Useful Markov Chain Calculations
9.4 The Value of Different On-base Events
9.5 Answering Questions About Baseball Strategy
9.6 Exercises
A An Introduction to Baseball
A.1 The Game of Baseball
A.2 One Half-Inning of Baseball
A.3 The Boxscore: A Statistical Record of a Baseball Game
Bibliography
Index
Back Cover
