RELIEVERS: 2016 Early leverage index

This week, the column looks at Leverage Index for a few pens. Leverage Index (LI) was developed by Tom Tango and measures the amount of swing in the possible change in win probability indexed against an average value of 1.00. Relievers who come into games in various situations create a composite score around 1.00, when aggregated. Because the average score for relievers is 1.00, relievers with higher LI scores (above 1.00) have managers who show greater confidence in them to win games than relievers with a lower LI score.

LI allows us to identify a developing usage pattern for particular relievers in a given pen far earlier than just by scanning box scores. Games yield very different situations from one game to another. For example,...

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