Download Big Data Baseball Math Miracles and the End of a 20Year Losing Streak Travis Sawchik 9781250094254 Books
Download Big Data Baseball Math Miracles and the End of a 20Year Losing Streak Travis Sawchik 9781250094254 Books
Download As PDF : Big Data Baseball Math Miracles and the End of a 20Year Losing Streak Travis Sawchik 9781250094254 Books
New York Times Bestseller
After twenty consecutive losing seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, team morale was low, the club’s payroll ranked near the bottom of the sport, game attendance was down, and the city was becoming increasingly disenchanted with its team. Big Data Baseball is the story of how the 2013 Pirates, mired in the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history, adopted drastic big-data strategies to end the drought, make the playoffs, and turn around the franchise’s fortunes.
Big Data Baseball is Moneyball for a new generation. Award-winning journalist Travis Sawchik takes you behind the scenes to expertly weave together the stories of the key figures who changed the way the Pirates played the game, revealing how a culture of collaboration and creativity flourished as whiz-kid analysts worked alongside graybeard coaches to revolutionize the sport and uncover groundbreaking insights for how to win more games without spending a dime. From pitch framing to on-field shifts, this entertaining and enlightening underdog story closely examines baseball’s burgeoning big data movement and demonstrates how the millions of data points which aren’t immediately visible to players and spectators, are the bit of magic that led the Pirates to finish the 2013 season in second place and brought an end to a twenty-year losing streak.
Download Big Data Baseball Math Miracles and the End of a 20Year Losing Streak Travis Sawchik 9781250094254 Books
"I am a diehard baseball fan and was recommended the book by my team's (not the Pirates) radio announcer. Loved the book. I was not expecting a book written by a local sports journalist to be as well-written as it was, nor was I expecting to be so overwhelmed by how data has changed the game. As baseball fans, we are quick to second-guess managers and our teams, but I think this book is a good reminder that decisions for most teams are not always made by "gut," but made from mountains and mountains of data. The book tackles what could be a boring subject with a brilliant narrative, complete with character development and plot twists. But I think Sawchick nails the main thesis, which is that baseball is a constantly evolving game of cat-and-mouse. Highly recommended for any baseball fan."
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Big Data Baseball Math Miracles and the End of a 20Year Losing Streak Travis Sawchik 9781250094254 Books Reviews :
Big Data Baseball Math Miracles and the End of a 20Year Losing Streak Travis Sawchik 9781250094254 Books Reviews
- A good baseball book. It's significant because it detailed how the Pirates analytics team identifed pitch framing, ground balls, and defensive shifts as a cheap way to make massive improvements between 2012 and 2013. They were able to do so because of the huge amount of data that was provided by PITCHf/x. The author hinted at the massive data trove from MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).
Despite the near total reliance on data to make changes (with a little bit of Clint Hurdle convincing his coaches and players to try), there are very few charts and graphs. On one hand, it makes reading the book simple for anyone. On the other, the title feels a bit like a lie because of the lack of graphs and charts (just put a few more in there).
The author tries to tell stories about the coaches and players to give a soft human side to the story, but unlike other recent baseball books (The Arm, The Best Team Money Could Buy, The Only Rule Is That It Has To Work), they just aren't very interesting. The book is sorely lacking in humor. Compounding that are the grammatical errors and extra words.
One does get a sense of the joy and relief of the Pittsburgh fans near the end of the book. The author did a nice job at interviewing people throughout the Pirates organization. - In many ways, this is a book similar to those written by Malcolm Gladwell. In 2013, the Pirates were at a "tipping point".Their GM and Manager needed to win or be fired. They, along with non-baseball playing math nerds, sought out "outliers", players who out-performed their peers in ways that other teams didn't recognize. With considerably fewer resources, the GM and Manager were confronting a "David and Goliath" battle.
To beat those odds, Clint Hurdle not only had to abandon much of what he considered important like a pitcher's Win Loss record and ERA, and batting average as the most important metric for position players, he had to convince his coaches and next his players. To do this, Hurdle integrated the stat people with the scouts, as well as with the coaches. How Hurdle did this is explained in this very readable book. Although the specifics here deal with baseball, in a general way, it would be useful for businesses, especially those which need to be re-organized. - I found this book to be an enjoyable read about building a successful team in baseball. You do not have to be a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates to enjoy this book, but it certainly helps. This book offers amazing insight into the transformation of the Pirates organization from having the longest span of losing seasons in professional sports history to a viable threat in the National League. Also, the renaissance in Clint Hurdle's approach to baseball is discussed, along with his background in the sport. Whereas this book is not as transformative for baseball as Moneyball was, there is still quite a bit of information one can gain from this book. Pitch framing and defensive alignments are the two mechanisms of successfully managing a team which are excellently explained in this book.
- This is a good baseball book. The author does a good job filling in the background on the team and the key players and 20 years of baseball futility. It's a very interesting read in how the team was able to remake itself similar to how Billy Bean found a competitive edge with data.
With that said, it is not that we'll written. It seems at times that the author struggled to fill out that book as a lot of things are stated repeatedly. A lot of the story telling gets bogged down in unnecessary details and slows the story down.
If the topic had not been so interesting for me, I probably would not have finished the book. If you like baseball, data, and an underdog story, you'll enjoy this book. - I haven't followed Baseball since the 70s.
And only started following the Buccos in Spring training so I'd have something to talk to my Dad about.
I needed more information about how and why the game is changing because of statistical analysis.
This book helped me understand the modern game..
I loved this book. It explains how Clint Hurdle, Neal Huntington, and the Pirates Organization, ended a 20 year losing streak with 3 consecutive playoff appearances through the application of Statistical Analysis.
It tells
How Pitchers changed the way they pitched to get more ground balls.
How Pitch-Framing improved EVERY Pitcher's ERA on the roster.
The hated Shift.
And how they identified "under valued" players to aquire.
...
... - I am a diehard baseball fan and was recommended the book by my team's (not the Pirates) radio announcer. Loved the book. I was not expecting a book written by a local sports journalist to be as well-written as it was, nor was I expecting to be so overwhelmed by how data has changed the game. As baseball fans, we are quick to second-guess managers and our teams, but I think this book is a good reminder that decisions for most teams are not always made by "gut," but made from mountains and mountains of data. The book tackles what could be a boring subject with a brilliant narrative, complete with character development and plot twists. But I think Sawchick nails the main thesis, which is that baseball is a constantly evolving game of cat-and-mouse. Highly recommended for any baseball fan.
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