Why I Dug Into MLB Stats
Last Tuesday I was watching the Yankees game with my buddy Mike, trying to figure out why they kept starting this new outfielder over the veteran. Mike kept saying, “Man, just look at the stats!” but honestly? I had no clue which numbers actually mattered. I always got lost in all those decimals and abbreviations. So I grabbed my laptop right there on the couch and decided to finally crack this baseball stats thing once and for all.
My Messy First Attempt
Started by googling basic terms like “what MLB stats matter.” Big mistake. Got hit with walls of text full of nonsense like BABIP and wRC+. Felt like reading ancient hieroglyphs. Then I thought – screw it, just compare two players everybody knows. Pulled up Aaron Judge and Mike Trout’s career stats side by side.
- First thing jumped out was BA – batting average. Trout’s .301 vs Judge’s .284.
- Then saw HR – home runs. Judge smacks way more per season.
- OPS looked important too – combines getting on base and power hitting.
Wrote these three in sharpie on my hand so I wouldn’t forget: BA, HR, OPS. Already better than yesterday.
Pitchers Threw Me A Curveball
Pitching stats were worse. Saw numbers like 3.41 or 1.08 and had zero context. Found out ERA is pitcher’s average runs allowed – lower is better. Clayton Kershaw sits around 2.50 while new guys might be near 5.00. Also discovered WHIP – how many guys reach base per inning. Under 1.00? Elite. Over 1.30? Batting practice pitcher.
Building My Cheat Sheet
Made this dumb comparison chart in Notes app using players from my fantasy league:
- Marked offensive players by BA (over .280 good), HR (30+ elite), OPS (.800+ solid)
- For pitchers: ERA under 3.50 great, WHIP below 1.20 outstanding
Still messy but actually useable. When my cousin texted asking if we should trade for Bryce Harper, I checked – .291 BA, 21 HR season pace, .874 OPS. Told him “Hell yes” before the inning ended.
Now I Actually Get It
Took me three nights of poking around stats pages while watching games. Now when announcers rattle off numbers, I’m not reaching for my phone to decode. Still ignore most advanced stats – life’s too short. But knowing these five? Lets me call BS when someone hypes a .220 hitter with bad OPS. Baseball choices feel less like gambling now. Still screw up sometimes, but at least I know why I’m wrong.
