Lineup Lab
Drag nine hitters into any batting order and simulate a season of games. How many runs is the order really worth?
- Coach questions
- 3
- Asked on air
- 15×
- Top question
- Q-09
Coach questions it could answer
The playbook →- Does lineup construction and depth change run scoring?
Drag hitters into any order and simulate thousands of games. The gap between the best and worst orders shows how much lineup construction really changes run scoring, with the noise drawn in so a small gap doesn't look like a big one.
- Do teams allocate playing time and platoons to their best options?
Swap platoon partners in by pitcher handedness and see the runs added, which shows whether teams are leaving value on the bench.
- Is RBI production skill or just opportunity?
The simulator counts runners on base for every lineup spot, so it shows how much of an RBI total comes from who bats in front.
Data it needs
The data lake →1 of 2 on hand; the rest arrives in phase 1, The spine.
Could use later: Play-by-play, Daily rosters
The question
Managers get grilled about batting orders, and hitters get credit for RBI that depend on who bats in front of them. How much does the order actually matter, and what does a bench move add?
How it would work
- Pick a team’s hitters, drag them into an order, and the simulator plays thousands of games using each hitter’s on-base and power rates.
- It reports runs per game with an uncertainty range, and compares against the team’s actual most-used order.
- Platoon mode swaps hitters by opposing pitcher’s hand.
First version
- Any team’s roster this season, nine draggable slots, runs per game for the chosen order against the best order found automatically.
- An RBI-opportunity column: runners on base when each spot came up.
The data
MLB Stats API and Statcast season rates for each hitter by pitcher handedness, and the team’s actual lineups by game.
What it needs
- A fast simulator in the browser, simple enough to run on a phone.
- Honest uncertainty. Differences between orders are often smaller than the noise; the page has to show that rather than crown a winner.
Status
An idea on the launchpad. Nothing is built yet.