With pitchers and catchers reporting in about 10 days, it’s also the start of projection season. Nate Silver and the team at Baseball Prospectus unveil the PECOTA projections (for BP subscribers). The name of the projection spelled out is Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm that boils down to the last name of Bill Pecota, a former major league utilityman.
Here is who is talking about the Pecota 2008 projections:
Catfish Stew: “BP’s new PECOTA projections love Huston Street. PECOTA gives Street by far the highest future UPSIDE of any relief pitcher in baseball. (Street: 108.1, Papelbon: 84.3.) Maybe Billy Beane should try to keep him around.”
Viva El Birdos : “pujols projects to be the best hitter in baseball, and it’s not close. he leads all hitters in projected batting average (.327), on-base percentage (.427), slugging (.577), and equivalent average (.335).”
Detroit Tiger Weblog: “The system likes Dontrelle Willis to rebound a little and be a league average pitcher with a 4.55 ERA. Not too shabby since that’s the highest projected ERA in the rotation. “
