2.3.3 Sports Analytics - Video 2 Making It to the Playoffs
The goal of baseball team is to make the playoffs. The A's approach was to get to the playoffs by using analytics. We'll first show how we can predict whether or not a team will make the playoffs by knowing how many games they won in the regular season. We will then use linear regression to predict how many games a team will win using the difference between runs scored and runs allowed, or opponent runs. We will then use linear regression again to predict the number of runs a team will score using batting statistics, and the number of runs a team will allow using fielding and pitching statistics. We'll start by figuring out how many games a team needs to win to make the playoffs, and then how many more runs a team needs to score than their opponent to win that many games. So our first question is how many games does a team need to win in the regular season to make it to the playoffs. In Moneyball, Paul DePodesta reduced the regular season to a math problem. He...