In Major League Baseball, there are metrics called sabermetrics.
This assesses a player's abilities from various perspectives, representing their individual strengths and personality.
Understanding the meaning of these indicators can be interesting, but there are so many different types that it can be quite daunting.
This time, I'll write about how to find players with good plate discipline using data that can be found on Yahoo! Professional Baseball's "Individual Statistics" page.
To be honest, it's not a particularly impressive article.
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How to find players with a good eye for pitches
On the individual statistics page, try clicking on "On-base percentage."
Then, the players are lined up in order of their on-base percentage.
Generally speaking, players whose on-base percentage minus batting average is between .080 and .100 are considered to have good plate discipline.
.Players with a batting average of around .060-.080 are considered slightly above average, while those with an average of .040-.060 are considered about average.
Aside from batting average, the main way to get on base is through walks, so a higher percentage of walks on top of a batting average indicates good plate discipline.
However, among these players, those with a high number of home runs may be drawing many walks because pitchers are not challenging them.
In that case, it doesn't necessarily mean they have a good eye for pitches, so be careful.
As of June 7, 2017, the top three hitters in the Central League in terms of on-base percentage are Maru (.409), Eldred (.40206), and Toritani (.40201).
However, the improvements in batting average were Maru at .095, Eldred at .099, and Toritani at .103.
Furthermore, the home run totals were 8 for Maru, 15 for Eldred, and 2 for Toritani.
Based on the above, the fact that Toritani draws more walks despite not hitting as many home runs as Maru and Eldred suggests that he has an excellent eye for pitches.
In this way, comparing multiple data points rather than just one can reveal a more accurate understanding of an athlete's individuality and appeal.