Baseball-Intellect FAQ

Note - I will add to this list as new questions are brought to my attention. Below are questions that I have seen multiple people ask...

Question

How do you take into account small sample sizes with the animations you use?

Answer

Small sample sizes are always taken into account and the reader should always note the problems that can arise with using a limited number of samples. However, I usually have more than one piece of video on the player in question. I also look to second hand sources to determine if what I'm seeing is in fact representative of what the player actually does. If I note a mechanical flaw that is affecting a player's stuff, I want to know if the player has had this problem for a while and was not just a one time thing.

If I do happen to use one single game to judge a player on, I don't think what I'm doing is much different from a scout taking in a game and using that one game as a basis for their opinion. If they happen to catch a player on a bad day, that impression is still stuck in the mind of a scout. What I try to do is back-up what I see with other second hand sources.

Question

When you show a player's stuff, how do you determine what pitch to show and do you choose pitches that are representative of a pitcher's stuff?

Answer

It would depend on the point I am making. If I am making a point that a pitcher's pitch is plus, I would want to show what that plus pitch looks like. However, most of the pitches I show are representative of the stuff the pitcher throws. However, if a pitcher has control problems and I want to show the reader what I mean by this, I will show a pitch that the pitcher did not control very well.

Question

What is your philosophy for choosing hitter animations?

Answer

The first thing is that the hitter must be taking a clean hack at the ball so we can get a feel for the true mechanics of the hitter. If I am comparing the mechanics of a player from two different years, we must make sure the swing from each player is representative of their other swings of around that time. Second, we want to make sure the pitch type, location, and velocity are all as close as possible so the only true differences are the swing itself.

Question

Do you have an explanation for the grading scales you use?

Answer

Yes I do. I explain the grading scale at the page Grading Scale Explained

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