Happy Valley Hardball with a sabermetrics twist

As we enter Big Ten play, here’s the conference standings based on the teams’ Pythagorean Winning Percentages.

For the uninitiated, the Pythagorean Win Percentage is a formula invented by the legendary Bill James that projects a teams expected winning percentage based on the number of runs that they score and the number of runs that they give up. The difference between a team’s actual winning percentage and their projected Pythagorean winning percentage is often referred to as the Luck Factor. A team that has a positive Luck Factor is winning more than they should and is thus considered “Lucky”.

In the Pythagorean standings, Ohio State is in second place despite their actual .500 record. They actual project to have a winning percentage that is close to league leader Indiana so their season to date might be considered quite unlucky.

For the uninitiated, the Pythagorean Win Percentage is a formula invented by the legendary Bill James that projects a teams expected winning percentage based on the number of runs that they score and the number of runs that they give up. The difference between a team’s actual winning percentage and their projected Pythagorean winning percentage is often referred to as the Luck Factor. A team that has a positive Luck Factor is winning more than they should and is thus considered “Lucky”.

In the Pythagorean standings, Ohio State is in second place despite their actual .500 record. They actual project to have a winning percentage that is close to league leader Indiana so their season to date my be considered quite unlucky.