Managerial Stats

by Birds on the Bat on Aug 6, 2007 7:20 AM EDT

We can now easily find sortable databases for player stats, notably pitching, fielding, and hitting. But I haven't found anything that is useful for managerial stats. These are the decisions we most like to debate, and we think we hold our field generals accountable, while we scrutinize every move, and yet nobody is keeping score. Since much of this is club dependent, it would be best to have graphics like fangraphs to chart any evolution through a career. But I'm not picky, and any type of sortable tabulation would be better than nothing..

Here are a few of the most obvious stats related to player substitution I would like to see:

Starter IP
Starter Pitch Count
Pitchers per 9 innings
Fielders per 9 innings
Pinch Hitters
Pinch Runners
Double Switches
Rookie Pitcher Games Started
Rookie Fielder Games Started

Then a couple in-game situations called upon the pitchers:

IBB
Pickoff Attempt

Hitting and Base Running situations are more difficult since they may not be executed, or have multiple possible outcomes. But what is important here is if the manager put it into play:

Sacrifice Bunt Attempt
Hit and Run Attempt
Suicide Squeeze Attempt
Double Steel Attempt

Clearly some of the interests,like defining a manager as having an early hook could be gleaned from team pitching stats. But it is about time that Manager Stats got their own page, were easy to sort for comparison, and easy to plot year to year. It could make it easier to show how a given manager adapted over the years to the clubs they've had, or if they generally became more conservative with age, or any other conclusions one might want to assert and use stats to back-up.

If someone knows where to find this now, please identify. Any other ideas of stats to be included and/or how to get this implemented would be interesting. Or even if you think this would be useless trivia, go ahead and tee off.

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Put me down

for thinking this sort of thing is an excellent idea. We have stats relating to every sort of minutiae as far as players go, yet no quantifiable way of looking at the way a team is being handled. Somebody ought to get on this.

To hell with your spoiled baby! I need those shoes!

by the red baron on Aug 6, 2007 7:22 AM EDT reply actions

The '07 Baseball Prospectus covered some of this.

There wasn't a lot of detail and there weren't any managerial comparisons, but the most recent BPro book did include some more stats like the one's you've suggested above in the writeup about the manager at the end of each team's respective chapter.

That's not to say that we shouldn't try to investigate more of this. There's been plenty of discussion out there surrounding a manager's impact on the game and having more statistics as evidence is never a bad thing.

There are some tricks and hurdles, though. Some of the data up there is easily discernible from an everyday box score, but other stats have a few more complications. If a batter fouls off the first two bunts in an at-bat, then swings away for the third, does that AB count as a bunt attempt? What about a hit-and-run attempt that results in a strikeout - how do we determine that the runner was going on their own?

by The Man in Blak on Aug 6, 2007 9:50 AM EDT reply actions

Counted Attempts

Thanks for the BPro reference.

If the batter squares to bunt, and either fouls it off or records a strike by missing, I would count that as having the manager call for the sac bunt.

This situation could also change the managers mind, and he could possible try a hit and run. I would count that also, even if it is the same at bat. While Hit and Runs often result in one out and sometimes two, the outcome is actually a player stat recorded elsewhere. And these multiple outcomes may not be possible to count as successful or not. What matters to me here is if the manager put the play on or not, and ultimately how often compared with other managers or other seasons.

As you say, this can't be found in the box scores, which still baffles me that nobody keeps track of this stuff.

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Aug 6, 2007 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions