What Makes a Winning Baseball Team and What Makes a Playoff Team?

Abstract

Team statistics from all 30 teams in Major League Baseball were analyzed to determine what makes a winning baseball team and what makes a playoff team. Thirty-two statistics in all, including batting, fielding, and pitching statistics, were used in a multiple linear regression and discriminant analyses. The regression procedure was to determine what makes a winning team, while the discriminant analyses were used to see what makes a playoff team. On-base percentage plus slugging (OPS) and earned run average (ERA) were fit on wins in the regression model with an R^2 = 0.83. The discriminant analyses distinguished different statistics in the National and American Leagues for discriminating between playoff and non-playoff teams. ERA and OPS were discriminating factors in the National League, while saves, on-base percentage, and earned run average were factors in the American League.