I have talked a lot about pitching minus fielding (FIP), batted ball luck (BAbip), and defense in general since I came onto these forums. I have finally found a very good (but old) article on the subject by one of the best out there, Voros McCracken. I have not kept up with what he is doing but last I heard he was hired by the Red Sox.
Of particular interest to LT_profits is this paragraph taken from the article; I did not want to rebuke what you said about BAbip until I found some evidence online:
"The pitchers who are the best at preventing hits on balls in play one year are often the worst at it the next. In 1998, Greg Maddux had one of the best rates in baseball, then in 1999 he had one of the worst. In 2000, he had one of the better ones again. In 1999, Pedro Martinez had one of the worst; in 2000, he had the best. This happens a lot. "
It is a long article but I promise well worth it. Enjoy.
Of particular interest to LT_profits is this paragraph taken from the article; I did not want to rebuke what you said about BAbip until I found some evidence online:
"The pitchers who are the best at preventing hits on balls in play one year are often the worst at it the next. In 1998, Greg Maddux had one of the best rates in baseball, then in 1999 he had one of the worst. In 2000, he had one of the better ones again. In 1999, Pedro Martinez had one of the worst; in 2000, he had the best. This happens a lot. "
It is a long article but I promise well worth it. Enjoy.
