Category: Uncategorized

The Data of Presidential Approval

A quick look at presidential approval ratings

At NEIFI, we’re apolitical. Though we do enjoy data analysis. And as such, inspired by the widespread attention currently being given to President Trump’s approval rating (much of that attention being drawn by the president himself), we decided to take a look at historical presidential approval rating data (available from 1941-present at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/popularity.php) . After collecting the data, we quickly observed some general trends: (more…)

February 17, 2017
The Texas Rangers Might Be Finished

The Texas Rangers Might Be Finished

Last winter, we produced a tweet which received strong attention by our modest standards.

Via #Frazier trade, aggressive #WhiteSox move to within a mere 14 games of #Indians in projected AL Central.

— NEIFI Analytics (@NEIFIco) December 16, 2015

What were the circumstances at the time? (more…)

October 7, 2016
NEIFI’s 한국야구위원회 (KBO) Team Projections for 2016

NEIFI’s 한국야구위원회 Team Projections for 2016

Introducing NEIFI’s KBO Team Projections for the 2016 season, which opens 4/1. (more…)

March 28, 2016
NEIFI’s 日本野球機構 (NPB) Team Projections for 2016

NEIFI’s 日本野球機構 Team Projections for 2016

Introducing NEIFI’s NPB Team Projections for the 2016 season, which opens today.

(more…)

March 25, 2016
Lazarito Armenteros, Arbitrary Coherence, and the Vanity of Amateur Competitive Balance

Lazarito Armenteros, Arbitrary Coherence, and the Vanity of Amateur Competitive Balance

It’s reported that 16-year-old Lazarito Armenteros will soon receive a signing bonus in the $15-20 million range.

In his book Predictably Irrational, distinguished behavioral economist Dan Ariely (more…)

February 16, 2016
The Marlins, Depth, and Measurement of Front Office Strength

The Marlins are an underrated club. Post-Chen, NEIFI has them at 82.0 wins. Doing nothing as of yet to replace Cespedes, the Mets are not as far ahead as one may expect. The Nationals are strong, but this is an underwhelming division; the Marlins can’t be written off as they sit now, and are a stone’s-throw away from being serious players. (more…)

January 13, 2016
Does Free Agency Truly Matter?

Zack Greinke’s record-breaking deal recently made many people say “overpay.” (more…)

December 9, 2015
Andrew Friedman’s $72m Systematic Framework

There’s a critical distinction to be made between having access to player projections of some sort versus having a systematic decision-making process. Andrew Friedman, and his former mates with the Rays, are by far the best exponents of the systematic decision-making approach in baseball today.

So what exactly is that distinction?

Many teams have developed their own player projection systems. Many have done some form of piggy-backing off of public systems. Naturally, these systems all range in quality quite broadly—so that’s one potential difference.

(more…)

November 29, 2015
The Mariners and Identity Theory

From a recent Jerry Dipoto interview, via Fangraphs:

Jerry Dipoto on the Mariners New Direction

“We see ourselves as a run-prevention club… Most teams have a run-prevention model, it’s a matter of how much they subscribe to it. Most of it is going to be predicated on ballpark. You’re much more likely to build a run-prevention model in a park like ours, or Dodger Stadium, or the Big A, than you would in say Baltimore. It’s a different model.”

And later: “Ground balls aren’t as critical to us as they would be to a normal team, because our ballpark absorbs fly balls a little better.”

(more…)

November 18, 2015