FanPost

Win Expectancy Charts as a Utility Function

Hi VEB.  I've posted a story at Beyond the Boxscore, another SBNation website, that I think will be of interest for fans/critics of TLR.  I use the Win Expectancy Calculator as a way to evaluate the utility of strategies instead of the Expected Runs Matrix that is commonly used.

Here's a preview:

"You're Mike Scioscia (keep reading, I promise it gets better), it's the bottom of the ninth and you're trailing by one run at home. Vlad Guerrero works a walk and Garret Anderson singles up the middle, and now you have runners on first and second with Darin Erstad coming to the plate. Most managers would be frozen with horror at the the thought of Rex Hudler attempting to analyze your moves, but you're Mickey Scioscia, former manager of the year, and you wonder: do I let Darin Erstad swing away and risk the double play? Or do I recognize Erstad's bat-handling abilites and call for the sacrifice bunt?

You have been given a fortune (the expected runs of this situation) to invest. Since you understand the intricacies of Moneyball, you pull out your Dell Inspiron 1150 and, after Bud Black points out the power button, make a little Excel Spreadsheet: "

Click here for the rest of the article.