Interesting Topics for Statistical Analysis

[crissfan172]

I've been reading up and learning more about data analysis in my spare time to augment my knowledge of mathematics and statistics with skills that will help me transition into a more interesting career path. While doing this, I started thinking about what analyses I would like to do in the world of baseball once I got further along in my education if I were given access to the raw data. 

The two topics that came to my mind were: 

1. What are the determining factors in a manager's decision to send a runner from 1st with a 3-2 count and less than 2 outs? 

Is the speed of the runner the most important factor, or is the manager more interested in the pitcher's K%? Maybe the batter's K% is more important than either of them. Or is it simply the probability of a strikeout in that situation. Does the answer vary depending on the manager, league, inning, and score? 

2. Given a pitcher's K% and a batter's K%, what is the probability of a strikeout occurring? 

Is it simply the mean of the two values, or does one value outweigh the other? 

 

Given the means, what are some of the topics you guys would like to explore? 

 

[Can_of_corn]

The impact on relief pitchers of having men on base when they enter the game.

[Frobby]

I'd love to create a database of "expected team wins" for pitchers based on their game logs.    Example: if all you know is that Ubaldo Jimenez pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 3 runs and left with a runner on 1B, what are the odds that the Orioles would win that game?    You could do a version based on major league averages in that situation, or you could do a version that varies by team (based on how good that team's offense and bullpen are).    But you'd do it without knowing how many runs the Orioles actually had scored on that particular night.