sabermetrics

noun

sa·​ber·​met·​rics ˌsā-bər-ˈme-triks 

plural in form but singular in construction

: detailed statistical analysis of baseball data (as for the purposes of evaluating player performance and developing playing strategies)

Baseball has always been a game of statistics, but sabermetrics posits that traditional measures like batting average and runs batted in are of limited use in predicting whether a player can actually help win ball games.

—William C. Symonds

sabermetric

ˌsā-bər-ˈme-trik 

adjective

Sabermetric studies have shown that a team's record in close games isn't necessarily connected to its overall quality—sometimes the performance can be summed up as luck.

—John Heyman

sabermetrically

ˌsā-bər-ˈme-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

"… it's a different method of approaching the game sabermetrically and numerically."

—Joe Maddon

sabermetrician

ˌsā-bər-mə-ˈtri-shən 

noun

plural sabermetricians

In part, these changes are being brought about by the increasing influence of a creative new breed of statisticians, members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). These sabermetricians, as they call themselves, have been manipulating the raw data of baseball—hits, runs, outs, errors—in ways that cast new light on the game on the field.

—Joe Klein

Examples of sabermetrics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Dodgers fire President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, whose reliance on sabermetrics during his eight-year tenure has resulted in a grand total of one World Series championship despite one of the biggest payrolls in the game. —Gustavo Arellanocolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2022

The sabermetrics guys in the glass offices call the shots now. —Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2022

For years sabermetrics has said the sac-bunt is not a good strategy. —Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 16 July 2022

Of course, analytics and sabermetrics used well can create mojo, 'surprise' wins can be the residue of design. —Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Oct. 2021

Beane’s solution is to build a lineup using sabermetrics, appraising players according to their stats rather than gut instinct. —Jess Bergman, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2021

Using sabermetrics rather than a vote of managers and coaches, the awards recognize the top defenders at their positions as well as an overall best defensive player as well as the top defensive team in baseball. —Joe Noga, cleveland, 5 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

saber- (from Society for American Baseball Research) + -metrics (as in econometrics)

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above