Baseball Archives

All-Star Based Evaluation of Draft Value Curves Across Major North American Sports Leagues

Wharton Sports Analytics Journal SPRING 2026 All-Star Based Evaluation of Draft Value Curves Across Major North American Sports Leagues AUTHORS Jordan Abell, Latin School of Chicago Felix Soloway-Gilbert, Pilgrim School Jonathan Pipping-Gamón, University of Pennsylvania Abraham J. Wyner, University of Pennsylvania ABSTRACT We examine how draft-pick value declines over the course of the draft…Read More

A Run Expectancy Approach to Lead Distance Optimization in Major League Baseball

Wharton Sports Analytics Journal FALL 2025 A Run Expectancy Approach to Lead Distance Optimization in Major League Baseball AUTHORS Lila Dodson, San Francisco University High School Zach Sissman, Community School of Naples Jack Whitney-Epstein, The Brunswick School ABSTRACT A runner’s primary lead off first base creates leverage to steal second…Read More

Introducing xCTRL: A Probabilistic Approach to Pitch Location Accuracy

A baseball and a bat on a dirt field, illuminated by warm sunlight, representing an outdoor baseball game setting.

Research Note Introducing xCTRL: A Probabilistic Approach to Pitch Location Accuracy Authors: Matt Ludwig Ryan S. Brill, Ph.D., Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative Research Team Abraham J. Wyner, Faculty Co-Director, Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative Published: June 10, 2025 Traditional baseball metrics such as WHIP (walks plus hits…Read More

The Hall of Fame Cut in Major League Baseball

Research Note The Hall of Fame Cut in Major League Baseball Author: Shane T. Jensen, Professor of Statistics and Data Science, The Wharton School Published: January 22, 2025 1. Introduction In this paper, I create a new quantitative standard for the baseball Hall of Fame that is unambiguous while still…Read More