aStuff+ Blob App v1
Visualizing the effects that velocity, release point, and movement characteristics have on pitch quality.
Attached to the bottom of this article is the link that can be used to access the aStuff+ Blob App, as introduced in my article Introducing My Stuff+ Blob.
Before providing the link to the aStuff+ Blob App, I figured that I should provide some additional information about the application in an attempt to preemptively answer any potential questions or concerns. First off, it should be noted that the public version of the “blob” will feature a different binning pattern than the one present in the private version of the “blob” that I used in the introductory article.
As shown by the table above, the private version of the app uses hexagonal binning while the public version of the app uses a scatter plot to represent the various aStuff+ values present in the plot area. Why is there a difference in the plot pattern between the private and public versions of the app? The simple reason is that I do not want to put the app behind a paywall at the moment, and the hexagonal bin plot takes up too much data which would require placing the app behind a paywall if it were to be deployed to the public.
Personally, I prefer the hexagonal bin plot (hence why I created a public and private version of the app) and I am open to sharing specific blob requests utilizing the private version. My direct message inbox on X (@MLBDailyStats_) is open and I would be happy to respond to any requests as well as answer any potential questions or concerns.
On the user interface panel of the app, horizontal release point has been automatically adjusted for pitcher handedness. Most values will fall between the range of -5 to 0. Keep in mind that factors such as spin rate, spin axis, and velocity and movement differential from the primary fastball are important features in my pitch quality model but are not directly represented in version 1 of the app. This might affect the results of the visualizations to some degree (as evidenced by some blue plots in the dark red areas and vice versa), however, the “blob” is intended to provide a general estimation not a detailed calculation. In the future, I would like to include features that allow users to change the values on the x and y axis, filter for spin rate and spin axis, and add the ability for the user to calculate the aStuff+ of a pitch directly in the app.
This is my first time deploying a Shiny app to the public and I welcome any feedback and/or recommendations on how I can improve the app in the future! I will caution that the app does take a few seconds to load upon initialization and is intended to be utilized on a desktop. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
Here is the link to the aStuff+ Blob App: