TAA 13 - You Down With IVB? Yeah You Know Me! (with Alex Chamberlain)

TAA 13 - You Down With IVB? Yeah You Know Me! (with Alex Chamberlain)

The Approach Angle Nate Schwartz (@_nateschwartz [https://x.com/_nateschwartz]) and Kyle Bland (@blandalytics [https://x.com/blandalytics]) are joined by Alex Chamberlain to talk approach angles and pitch movement. This week, Nate and Kyle hop into the world of pitch movement, and Alex Chamberlain joins the discussion as one of the key researchers on approach angles. They start with the foundation of pitch movement—what causes movement, how pitches move, and the topline concepts of movement. They transition to discussing the required context for all pitch movement numbers. This revolves around arm angle and other physical characteristics, such as extension and release point, which explain why the fastball deadzone is actually dynamic. Finally, the group talks approach angles, as they explain vertical approach angle and horizontal approach angle. Vertical approach angle is powerful in understanding fastball performance, and both approach angles are most effective on the edges of the strike zone. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TAA 12 - Hitters Who Caught Our Eye

The Approach Angle Nate Schwartz (@_nateschwartz [https://x.com/_nateschwartz]) and Kyle Bland (@blandalytics [https://x.com/blandalytics]) talk about four hitters who are doing something new. After spending the last couple of weeks building up the analytical toolkit on the hitting side, the two investigate hitters who are doing something new—for better or worse. They start with Gunnar Henderson's struggles, looking at how his swing has changed from past years and the effect that has on his decision-making. Then, they look at Munetaka Murakami's breakout season and talk about how his approach is sustainable despite an exceptionally high whiff rate. After that, they take a stab at why Fernando Tatis Jr. has no home runs and project what he'll look like for the rest of the season and beyond. Finally, they evaluate Jordan Walker's breakout season, and why a bunch of small changes are going a long way. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TAA 11 - What to Make of ERA Estimators

The Approach Angle Nate Schwartz (@_nateschwartz [https://x.com/_nateschwartz]) and Kyle Bland (@blandalytics [https://x.com/blandalytics]) about ERA estimators and how to apply them. The discussion starts by talking about why ERA needs to be estimated. There are so many factors that go into run prevention that make it hard to value a pitcher just on ERA. They first dive into FIP, breaking down why it makes sense to remove balls in play from the equation entirely. This starts the focus on strikeouts and walks as the main identifer across the board. The chat moves to xFIP, which adjusts for league-average home run rate. Next, the two talk about SIERA, and how it's complex compared to the others and is the most predictive. After covering the main ERA estimators, they shift to how xERA is powered by Statcast data, but that doesn't make it more predictive. Finally, they wrap up by mentioning PLA, Pitcher List's scaled stat for pitch level value (PLV) and the players that stand out across these estimators. Articles discussed: The Relative Value of FIP, xFIP, SIERA, and xERA Pt. II [https://pitcherlist.com/the-relative-value-of-fip-xfip-siera-and-xera-pt-ii/], Dan Richards; pFIP: Pitch Height, Launch Angle, and the FIP Framework [https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/pfip-pitch-height-launch-angle-and-the-fip-framework/], Alex Chamberlain; Predictive Classified Run Average [https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/era-estimators-pt-ii-present/], Connor Kurcon; What is PLV? [https://pitcherlist.com/what-is-plv-an-introduction-to-pitch-level-value-and-its-applications/], Nick Pollack Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TAA 10 - Do We Have Any Discipline?

The Approach Angle Nate Schwartz (@_nateschwartz [https://x.com/_nateschwartz]) and Kyle Bland (@blandalytics [https://x.com/blandalytics]) break down swing rates and contact rates for hitters. The discussion starts with how ABS has changed parts of how we value plate discipline, and how good discipline can play into challenges. They dive into swing rates: they start with how overall swing rate doesn't necessarily mean anything on its own, but can show outlier trends. Breaking it out into zone swing and out-of-zone swing (chase rate), they mention chase rate's importance because no good outcome can come from a chase swing. They move into contact rates, focusing on the importance of zone contact. Overall, they note how important it is that swings in the zone still struggle to create run value, emphasizing decision-making relative to contact ability. Finally, they close by talking about Pitcher List's decision value and contact ability, and what goes into those stats. Articles discussed: Quantifying the Corey Seager Approach [https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/86572/the-crooked-inning-corey-seager-rangers/], Robert Orr; The Westburg Paradox [https://pitcherlist.com/the-westburg-paradox/], Tanner McGrath; Chasers Gonna Chase, but Where? [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chasers-gonna-chase-but-where/], Davy Andrews; Heart of the Zone Value Tweet [https://x.com/blandalytics/status/1752186748569059598], Kyle Bland; STIO Tweet [https://x.com/blandalytics/status/1823820111570198797], Kyle Bland Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TAA 9 - Creating Our Own Game Score

The Approach Angle Nate Schwartz (@_nateschwartz [https://x.com/_nateschwartz]) and Kyle Bland (@blandalytics [https://x.com/blandalytics]) talk about different versions of game score. They start by talking about the theory behind the original game score, which was created by Bill James. That leads to the second version of game score, developed by Tom Tango, where the two talk about the philosophical differences in what a game score is meant to capture. Then they talk about how Kyle went about creating his version of the game score and what he wanted to get out of it. They extensively discuss the crowd-sourced rankings and how it applies to the letter grades with the pitch cards. Finally, they conclude with ideas for stats to include in a "start watchability" index. Articles discussed: Game Scores [https://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2005/01/abstracts_from_23.php], Bill James; Game Score Version 2.0 [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/game-score-v2-0/], Tom Tango; Explaining Pitcher List’s Player Card Grades [https://pitcherlist.com/explaining-pitcher-lists-player-card-grades/], Kyle Bland   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.