If you want to learn a detailed step-by-step process to develop your own Excel-based fantasy baseball projections and to give yourself an edge over the rest of your league, you are in the right place.
The SFBB "Projecting X 2.0" bundle includes:
1. "Projecting X 2.0 - How to Forecast Baseball Player Performance", by Mike Podhorzer
2. "How to Use the Projecting X 2.0 Excel Template", by me (Tanner Bell)
3. Projecting-X-2.0-Excel-Template.xlsx (Excel template for enhancing the projection process)
*Note: The download comes in a Zip file format and includes an Excel file, so it is not immediately usable if downloaded directly on an iPad or many phones. If you would like to read the contents on those devices, download the Zip file to a computer and simply email the book files to yourself and open them on your iPad or phone.
If you head over to ProjectingX.com you can purchase the the book "Projecting X 2.0", by itself, for $9.99. And it is well worth the investment.
I bought the book myself and I've found it extremely helpful. I've used the process outlined in the book to project my own stats for the past three seasons (technically I used "Projecting X" for two seasons and I'm using "Projecting X 2.0 for the third).
If you've followed this site for even a short while, you've probably noticed I'm a bit of an Excel nerd. So while I loved Projecting X, I quickly realized its goal was to teach me a process of manually creating a projection for players one at a time. But it was not designed or written to show me how to do it quickly and efficiently.
That's why I created the Projecting X Spreadsheet Template. It's the spreadsheet I now use to follow the Projecting X 2.0 approach and I created it to save myself hours and hours of time (I'm guessing it will probably save me 20 hours of time this season AND I designed the spreadsheet to hopefully work in future seasons as well).
You don't just have to take my word for it. I have shared the Excel template and the adjustments I made to speed up the Projecting X 2.0 process with Mike Podhorzer himself. And here's what he had to say:
"I have been projecting players manually for over 10 years and it's a massively time-consuming process. So I am always looking for ways to make the process more efficient and reduce the time it takes to project each individual player. Tanner's Excel template is like a gift from the Fantasy Gods! His Excel skills are obvious and make me look like an amateur using the program. It truly takes the methods I shared in Projecting X to the next level and makes it easier than ever to become a master baseball forecaster.
- Mike Podhorzer
He liked it so much he agreed to bundle the Projecting X 2.0 Excel template and a short set of instructions on how to use the Excel file with his book (the bundle is only available here at SFBB).
This Sounds Interesting, But Tell Me More.
- Mike Podhorzer discussed his book and his thoughts on specific players live on the MLB Network!
Click image to see the full video of Mike's appearance. - You can read my in-depth review of "Projecting X 2.0" here.
- You can see a video that demonstrates all the time saving capabilities of the Excel file here. Keep in mind that if you just buy Projecting X, it assumes you are starting with a BLANK Excel file. For just a handful of extra dollars you can start with this.
- The materials in the bundle give you specific Excel formulas, screenshots, and step-by-step instructions for developing hitter and pitcher projections. You can see full screenshots of the Excel template here (click the images to see them full-sized).
- The spreadsheet comes preloaded with over 600 clickable player hitter names and over 500 clickable pitchers names. All you need to do is click on a player name and you're immediately taken to that player's page at Fangraphs.
- One of the best benefits of the Projecting X 2.0 system is that every projection automatically updates by simply adjusting a player's plate appearances or innings pitched. So if you find out a player is injured or earns a starting job, you simply update their plate appearances and you'll see instantly updated projections and rankings. A pitcher needs Tommy John surgery? No problem, just enter in 0 IP for the player. Find out a player will miss the first 6 weeks of the season? Easily determine how much this affects his projected stats.
- Mike Podhorzer is an author at Fangraphs, is a participant in Tout Wars, and has contributed to several well known fantasy baseball podcasts. You can find him on Twitter as @MikePodhorzer.
If The Book Is So Great, Why Do I Need Your Additional Materials?
You ask tough questions. I use Mike Podhorzer's process to develop my own projections. It works. I love it. But when I was working through the process I identified a few things that were time consuming. So I developed methods to do the same tasks outlined in "Projecting X 2.0", but to do them faster. And when we're talking about projecting hundreds of players, just 60 seconds saved on each player is HOURS of time (and this Excel file will save you more than 60 seconds per player!). I built the ideas into my own spreadsheet that is 100% consistent with the "Projecting X 2.0" book.
This is no detriment to the book. It's just what I do. It's the whole point of this site. To look for ways to make everyone a little bit better, a little bit smarter, or a little bit faster at what they do.
I didn't know how to forecast player statistics before I read this book. And based on my results from the book, I feel like I can do it as accurately as the major projection systems that are freely available (No, I'm not challenging Nate Silver).
This Sounds Great, What Else Is There To Know?
Just like with anything, there are a few qualifiers you need to know about.
The Excel file requires at least Microsoft Excel 2007 for Windows.
Sorry Excel 2003 users and Excel for Mac users.
The Excel file is designed to work into future seasons (with some minor maintenance, instructions are included), but it has been designed based upon the current layout of Fangraphs' player pages. If Fangraphs redesigns the site in future seasons, the Excel file will likely stop working.
That's all I've got. But if you have any questions I haven't addressed, please do not hesitate to send them my way.
Download the entire bundle now, including "Projecting X 2.0", for just $17.99. Please buy the bundle and support this site by clicking on the applicable "Add To Cart" below.
| PDF (recommended) |  |
| AZW3 (Kindle) | |
| EPUB (Nook, Apple iPad/iBooks, Sony Reader, Kobo) | |
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*Note: The download comes in a Zip file format and includes an Excel file, so it is not immediately usable if downloaded directly on an iPad or many phones. If you would like to read the contents on those devices, download the Zip file to a computer and simply email the book files to yourself and open them on your iPad or phone.