Full Glossary

Glossary

BBPG - Walks Per Game. This is the average number of base-on-balls awarded per game. Generally, if an umpire has an abnormally high BBPG rate it is safe to assume that he has a rather tight strike-zone. Likewise, a low BBPG would suggest a larger zone.

DLAZ - The Zone Score for Dodger pitching to left-handed hitters using the Adjusted Strike-Zone.

DRAZ - The Zone Score for Dodger pitching to right-handed hitters using the Adjusted Strike-Zone.

DLSZ - The Zone Score for Dodger pitching to left-handed hitters using the Standard Strike-Zone.

DRSZ - The Zone Score for Dodger pitching to right-handed hitters using the Standard Strike-Zone.

Game Score - The Game Score is an attempt to represent the overall fairness of a home plate umpire's performance calling balls and strikes for a game. Essentially, an umpire's Game Score represents the difference in total Zone Scores between the two teams. Since the focus is on the Dodgers, a positive score represents an umpire's performance favoring the Dodgers, with a negative score reflecting a performance that favored their opposition. For a more detailed explanation, read this post.

Gift - A gift is a pitch that is shown to be a ball that is called a strike. For calculations of Zone Scores a gift is given a value of (+1)

KPG - Strikeouts Per Game. This is the average number of strikeouts that occur per game. Generally, if an umpire has an abnormally high KPG rate it is safe to assume that he has a larger strike-zone and is 'pitcher friendly'. Accordingly, a lower KPG rate suggests a tight zone.

LI - Leverage Index. This is a calculation that attempts to represent the importance of an at-bat. The higher the LI the more important the situation is. From fangraphs.com:

"You take the current base-out state, inning, and score and you find the possible changes in Win Expectancy that could occur during this particular plate appearance. Then you multiply those potential changes by the odds of that potential change occurring, add them up, and divide by the average potential swing in WE to get the Leverage Index."

For comparison, an LI of 1.00 is average, anything below 0.85 is low-leverage, and anything at 2.00 or above would be considered a high-leverage situation. For a full understanding of LI, please read its explanation at fangraphs.

Miss - A miss is a pitch that is shown to be a strike that is called a ball. For calculations of Zone Scores a miss is given a value of (-1)

OLAZ - The Zone Score for the opposing teams pitching to left-handed Dodger hitters using the Adjusted Strike-Zone.

ORAZ - The Zone Score for the opposing teams pitching to right-handed Dodger hitters using the Adjusted Strike-Zone.

OLSZ - The Zone Score for the opposing teams pitching to left-handed Dodger hitters using the Standard Strike-Zone.

ORSZ - The Zone Score for the opposing teams pitching to right-handed Dodger hitters using the Standard Strike-Zone.

RPG - Runs Per Game. This is the average number of runs scored, by both teams, per game. Generally, an umpire with a higher RPG would suggest a tight zone that in turn forces pitchers to throw more centered pitches resulting in more offense.

Zone Score - A Zone Score is the sum of gifts and misses, for a specific teams pitchers, to a particular set of hitters. There are 8 Zone Scores calculated: Two strike-zone metrics (Standard and Adjusted), for both left-handed and right-handed hitters, for both teams. For a more detailed explanation of Zone Score, see this post.