Statcast Gains and Increasing Value

Now is that time in the season where you’re probably starting to get a little antsy. Why hasn’t Player A hit any home runs yet? When will Player B steal a base? Do I cut this player? Do I add that player? You may fall into the trap of cutting players on a whim because of a 3-for-31 performance thus far, but then regret that cut when he goes on a home run hitting bonanza in a few weeks. So, what indicators can you look for when trying to decide whether to buy or sell, cut or claim? 

A lot of great work has gone into determining how predictive max exit velocity can be on overall hit and power performance, giving us the ability to more quickly speculate on power performers. Year-to-year metrics can also give us insight. More than just increasing performance metrics, we often overlook the question, how valuable did this player become over the course of the season? If you acquired a player for $2 at the start of 2019 and at the end of the season he was worth $9, that’s excellent. Let’s look at how improved statcast metrics impact a hitter’s fantasy value over time. From 2018 to 2019 there were 7 interesting players who improved their max hit speed, sweet spot %, and barrel %: