Using statistics, data analytics to determine World Series winner

HOUSTON - Ask any Astros fan who will win the World Series and their answer is probably predictable. So we took that question to someone or something a little less biased, sports statistics and data analytics to determine the winner of the World Series. So who is the top team on paper?

Well, while Astros fans know in their heart of hearts the ’Stros will win the World Series, this fan is using his brain to choose the champion.

"Obviously, the team with the best players has one advantage but if you don’t maximize their talents, then your chances of winning will decrease,” says Rice University Professor Jimmy Disch, who's the school’s Director of Sports Analytics. Disch says you also have to analyze each baseball team’s talent by position.

"I mean, they’ve got incredible starting pitching," Disch says.

 By "they," this Houstonian means the Washington Nationals.  However, Disch says the Houston Astros have a better bullpen of relief pitchers and stronger hitters. 

"They’ve (the Nationals) got good power hitters but they basically hit, run bases, take extra bases and do a lot of the little things that really good baseball teams do," he says. 

The Nationals also, according to Disch, don’t stand a chance at shifting to shake the ’Stros, which is adding an extra player to the outfield when a hitter is known to blast the ball in that direction because he says the Astros hitters can typically hit anywhere. 

We asked some of the world’s smartest their take. Siri, how about it?  "I’m hearing the Astros are favored to defeat the Nationals by one and a half runs.”

"Statistically, the Astros are favored to win it. However, the Nationals are peaking at the perfect time,” Alexa adds. 

Our real analytics expert agrees with artificial intelligence.

"Analytics probably still favor the Astros,” says Disch, but if using the science of stats isn’t your thing. 

I asked Disch with my hands clasped together in prayer, "How effective is 'please God, please God, please God?'”  Disch answers with a laugh, "That’s variable and it didn’t work last night."

Disch says the Astros are heavily favored over certain teams but are only slightly better on paper than the Nationals.