Given the ubiquitous nature of advanced stats in baseball—from their utilization in front offices league-wide, to their accessibility to the average fan via resources like Baseball Savant—it’s clear that we live in an enlightened baseball world. It’s amusing now to think, not even 20 years ago, the notion of on-base percentage being an undervalued metric was considered cutting edge. But, like Brad Pitt-as-Billy Beane will tell you, it’s important to get on base, and the sport has progressed leaps and bounds since the Moneyball revolution of the early 2000s.
Yet with all of the data we have on hand, there’s still no clear-cut answer for how to harness postseason success.