WPA, short for Win Probability Added, is a stat we use often here at BP Wrigleyville. It’s really a cool little number, and for the sake of not leaving anyone in the dark, I’ll briefly explain it. WPA is a measurement of the degree to which every play that happens throughout a game changes the team’s […]
Day: October 16, 2015
Jake Arrieta Is the Right Choice for Game One
Yesterday, my colleague Matthew Trueblood laid out a compelling argument in support of Joe Maddon’s decision to start Jon Lester in Game One of the NLCS. The central argument he made in that piece was that Arrieta (and all modern pitchers) are more accustomed to a fifth day of rest, and that, because Arrieta would be on […]
How the North Siders Created a New Cubs Culture
All we really have as an organization is each other. —Theo Epstein There were moments during Tuesday’s NLDS clincher when things could’ve easily slipped away. The Cubs were down 2-0 before they’d even stepped to the plate and they were opposing a pitcher who’d held them hitless for five innings just a few days before. […]
Taking the Zone by Force: The Most Important Area of Improvement for the 2015 Cubs
Theo Epstein was on AM 670 The Score on Tuesday, in the hours leading up to the Cubs’ Game Four win over the Cardinals. Though Epstein was careful to note (more than once) how much work remains to be done, the interview was at least partially a victory lap for the Cubs’ chief architect. Epstein […]