For the newbies, I do this by scanning every game log, parsing data on each plate appearance for zones and Batted ball types. Then I do some math and develop a framework that compares the defense your team is actually playing on the field to what your league average would look like. The "Plays Above Average" is just that...given the balls in play your pitchers are allowing, how is your defense turning them into outs relative to the league average.
Pretty simple, eh?
What this script can't do today is to chase it down to individual players. All I can say, for example, is that for ground balls hit into zone 6, here are the number your guys (whoever has played) have turned into outs, and here are how many the league is averaging....blah, blah, blah.
I'll update this over the year, but for now, here's the UMEBA data:
UMEBA DEFENSE BY PLAYS MADE ABOVE AVERAGE
TEAM | GB | FB | LD(IF) | LD(OF) | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bucharest Impalers | 3.7 | 2.7 | 0.0 | -0.4 | 6.0 |
Cairo Chariot Archers BC | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 5.6 |
Baghdad Kings | 5.2 | -0.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.5 |
Manama Pearls | -1.4 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.8 |
Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers | -0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
Mumbai Metro Stars | 0.1 | -3.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 | -3.0 |
Beirut Cedars | -6.8 | 4.2 | 0.0 | -2.0 | -4.6 |
Istanbul Bosphorus | -4.4 | -6.6 | 0.0 | -0.2 | -11.2 |
League | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
More testing will be done.