Outs Above Average (OAA)
Outs Above Average is a Statcast metric used to evaluate an outfielder’s ability to convert fly balls into outs in relation to his peers.
OAA is the cumulative expression of each fly ball hit to an outfielder and his effectiveness at catching those balls in terms of Catch Probability. Statcast measures Catch Probability, or the likelihood that a fly ball will caught, based on the distance the fielder must cover, the time he has to reach the ball, and the direction in which he travels.
For each fly ball hit to an outfielder, Statcast assigns either a positive or negative value to the player based on the Catch Probability and whether or not the play was made.
For example, if a ball hit to Michael Conforto has an 80 percent Catch Probability and he makes the catch, he is awarded a +.20 credit. If he is unable to make the play, he’ll receive a -.80 that demonstrates the likelihood of other outfielders catching that particular ball.
Likewise, if an outfielder catches a ball with a Catch Probability of ten percent, he’ll receive a +.90 credit that reflects the difficulty of the play.
The credits assigned to each individual play are added up in order to calculate an individual player’s Outs Above Average total. In 2019, Victor Robles of the Nationals led the majors with 23 Outs Above Average.
Directional Outs Above Average
Directional Outs Above Average takes Outs Above Average and splits it into six directional segments. This metric allows us to see which outfielders are the best at making catches on balls hit in varying directions. For example, Mookie Betts led all outfielders with 6 Outs Above Average on balls hit “In Right” in 2019.
As explained by the Statcast website: The middle of the circle is the fielder’s starting point, and the 360-degree range around them is broken up into six 60-degree segments, where “in” is always “towards the plate.” The direction a player must go to get to the ball’s projected landing point from his starting spot dictates to which directional slice his play will be credited (or debited).
