Metric Explainers

Metric Explainers

What Are Expected Goals (xG)?

Expected goals (or xG) measures the quality of a chance by calculating the likelihood that it will be scored from a particular position on the pitch during a particular phase…

1 month ago Jonny Whitmore

Metric Explainers

What Are Expected Goals on Target (xGOT)?

Expected goals on target (xGOT) builds upon the original expected goals model (xG) by crediting on-target shots based on a combination of their underlying chance quality and the quality of…

1 month ago Jonny Whitmore

Metric Explainers

US Open Projections: How We Select the Top Fantasy Plays

We're breaking down how we project fantasy performance, which golfers are the best value, and how projected ownership can impact those values.

1 month ago Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads

Metric Explainers

Command+: How Innovative Pitchers Are Changing the Way Command Is Evaluated

Command+ can reveal which pitchers truly have the best command, but the metric is undergoing change as hurlers continue to get creative with their repertoires.

2 months ago Taylor Bechtold

Metric Explainers

An Inside Look at How We Calculate Our Adjusted Team Ratings

We're using a model that weighs advanced metrics and other factors on both sides of the ball to calculate the final adjusted team ratings of the regular season.

2 months ago Taylor Bechtold

Metric Explainers

An Inside Look at How We Create Our Golf Simulation Skeleton

In our first golf explainer, we introduced FRACAS, a proprietary global ranking method for men’s golf. With FRACAS established, we can use the player rates we’ve created to simulate tournaments and detail how the…

4 months ago Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads

Metric Explainers

Introducing FRACAS: A Precise Golf Ranking Model Using Field Rating and Course-Adjusted Strokes Gained

We're exploring the leading ranking systems in golf today, explain FRACAS, then put it to work to identify some of the underrated golfers in the game today.

4 months ago Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads, Kevin Chroust

Metric Explainers

Shape Analysis: Automatically Detecting Formations

Shape Analysis uses tracking data to automatically identify a team’s shape, both in and out of possession, during a game.

4 months ago Jonny Whitmore, Thomas Seidl

Metric Explainers

Raw Value: A Comprehensive Pitch-by-Pitch Player Evaluation

By now, every analytical baseball mind knows there are countless statistics like batting average, slugging percentage and RBIs that evaluate performance based on the cumulative result of a player’s at-bats.…

4 months ago The Analyst

Metric Explainers

Identifying Patterns with Movement Chains

Movement chains describe the patterns of four player involvements in a passage of play by displaying the locations of the first touches.

4 months ago Jonny Whitmore, Danny Dinsdale