2nd Guesser, by VerbTrainers
$2.99, ****
Pros:
Cons:
Baseball season is over, and it is six long months until baseball will start up again. But that doesn't mean baseball fans will have nothing to do. In fact, they can spend all winter trying to 2nd guess managers of their favorite teams to find places where they might have messed up!
Enter, 2nd Guesser, a baseball game app designed to allow the user to check about the probability of various baseball strategies....during the game! 2nd Guesser uses the idea that each offensive baseball strategy (bunting, stealing a base, sacrificing a runner, etc) has an expected probability of success...and the outcome of the event (successful or unsuccessful) will influence the teams ability to ultimately win the game. The app uses these probability and expected outcomes to determine the the teams probability of winning a game has increased or stayed the same.
Runner of first, in the 7th inning, with a poor hitter on base, and 1 out....should you try to steal? Sacrifice the runner to second? Play hit and run? You can test all the various options to see what has the most significant impact on win probability. Of course, what will actually happen in the game may always be different from the probabilities, but you can see if the manager really should have tried to steal a base...or if he should have left the runner on first.
You can customize the events based on the runner (with such stats as the success rate of a stolen base for the runner), the hitter (with the hitters OBP), and other features as well. For people who may not be familiar with some of the terms, there is an included glossary to explain what each even really is. However, for people who are completely unfamiliar with the concept of sabermetrics, you probably should stay away from this app. I have some passing familiarity with it, and I was even getting confused a little bit.
Some bring on the app, and let the second guessing begin!
All in all, this is a fun companion app while watching a baseball game - especially if you disagree with a particular strategy that a manager has employed. It takes some getting used to the interface, and learning how to use the app, but it can be fun to see if you idea about what should have been done would help out the team more than was actually was done!
For $2.99, most people won't want to just randomly buy it to test it out, but for sabermetric inclined baseball fans, I strongly recommend this app. Four out of five stars!
Rating scale:
* = No redeeming qualities or features, probably not worth it even if it is free
** = Few redeeming qualities, or is simply isn't worth the price
*** = Some good features but also some clear flaws.
**** = A solid app, worth the money if interested, a few flaws or problems or slightly overpriced
***** = Top of the line app, no problems or drawbacks.
Price is factored into the ratings. Ratings are lowered if I feel the price of the app outweighs the benefits/enjoyment/features it provides. Likewise, an app that is a good value for the money will have a higher rating.
$2.99, ****
Pros:
- Can follow along with in game baseball strategy
- Can second guess baseball managers
Cons:
- Not for people who are unfamiliar with Sabermetrics
- Interface can be a little clunky
Baseball season is over, and it is six long months until baseball will start up again. But that doesn't mean baseball fans will have nothing to do. In fact, they can spend all winter trying to 2nd guess managers of their favorite teams to find places where they might have messed up!
Enter, 2nd Guesser, a baseball game app designed to allow the user to check about the probability of various baseball strategies....during the game! 2nd Guesser uses the idea that each offensive baseball strategy (bunting, stealing a base, sacrificing a runner, etc) has an expected probability of success...and the outcome of the event (successful or unsuccessful) will influence the teams ability to ultimately win the game. The app uses these probability and expected outcomes to determine the the teams probability of winning a game has increased or stayed the same.
Runner of first, in the 7th inning, with a poor hitter on base, and 1 out....should you try to steal? Sacrifice the runner to second? Play hit and run? You can test all the various options to see what has the most significant impact on win probability. Of course, what will actually happen in the game may always be different from the probabilities, but you can see if the manager really should have tried to steal a base...or if he should have left the runner on first.
You can customize the events based on the runner (with such stats as the success rate of a stolen base for the runner), the hitter (with the hitters OBP), and other features as well. For people who may not be familiar with some of the terms, there is an included glossary to explain what each even really is. However, for people who are completely unfamiliar with the concept of sabermetrics, you probably should stay away from this app. I have some passing familiarity with it, and I was even getting confused a little bit.
Some bring on the app, and let the second guessing begin!
All in all, this is a fun companion app while watching a baseball game - especially if you disagree with a particular strategy that a manager has employed. It takes some getting used to the interface, and learning how to use the app, but it can be fun to see if you idea about what should have been done would help out the team more than was actually was done!
For $2.99, most people won't want to just randomly buy it to test it out, but for sabermetric inclined baseball fans, I strongly recommend this app. Four out of five stars!
Rating scale:
* = No redeeming qualities or features, probably not worth it even if it is free
** = Few redeeming qualities, or is simply isn't worth the price
*** = Some good features but also some clear flaws.
**** = A solid app, worth the money if interested, a few flaws or problems or slightly overpriced
***** = Top of the line app, no problems or drawbacks.
Price is factored into the ratings. Ratings are lowered if I feel the price of the app outweighs the benefits/enjoyment/features it provides. Likewise, an app that is a good value for the money will have a higher rating.
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