Personally, I don’t think I have ever heard one stat so closely related and synonyms with a player then Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is with Mike Trout. The reason being is that is an annual occurrence that Trout puts up video-game like numbers, thrusting him into the MVP discussion but this is where it gets dicey. It is widely known that the Angels have under performed in stocking talent around Trout which usually results in the team narrowly missing the playoffs. But the problem that most MVP voters argue is: If Trout isn’t good enough to single handedly drag the Angels into the playoffs, then is he really the Most Valuable Player in the League?
Now you don’t need to be an expert in fantasy baseball strategy to realize the obvious point that the game of baseball is more of a team sport than almost any other in existence. Players only get a handful of opportunities to impact the game, but baseball is a game known for it’s failures so you can’t expect one to dominate in day in and day out. So like everything else in the MLB, there is a stat the solely measures the number of wins a player brings to his team and that is WAR. In the most simplest terms, WAR measures how many wins a single player brings to his team. They do this by comparing how the team would do if instead of that player being in the lineup, if a readily available minor leaguer or veteran player was instead inserted into the lineup for that player. This part of the stat is where it is not so black and white but the basis for each player is the same. Note this has no direct fantasy baseball impact but rather indirectly is based on the fantasy baseball numbers a player is able to put up throughout the entirety of a season.
So to give you some sort of scale on what is a good and bad WAR, we present the following. A player with a WAR of 0 is average, actually more than average, meaning that he is easily replaceable by any one in the league. A player with a negative WAR is plain bad and really shouldn’t be starting in the majors on a regular basis. On the other edge of the spectrum, a player with a WAR eight or better is going to be into MVP contention because that, on it’s own, could be the difference for a team being a playoff team or not. So what kind of WAR does Trout sport? Not including his rookie season (where he only played 40 games) not including the 2017 season, Trout’s lowest season WAR is an astonishing 7.9. That should come as no surprise as Trout has finished first or second in MVP voting in every season of eligibility for the prestigious award.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
McGregor v. Mayweather
On Saturday August 26th, in Las Vegas, Nevada, one of the biggest sporting events in history will be on display as the two of the biggest superstars in all of sports go against each other in the ring. Conor McGregor, the biggest name in fantasy UFC, and Floyd “Money” Mayweather, the undisputed champion of boxing, will square off for what will surely be a pay-per view event for the ages. I think it is fair to say that whenever either of these men’s names are attached to a sporting event, a majority of the daily fantasy MMA population will tune in, and rightfully so. Let’s break down the tale of the tape so you know everything vital to your fantasy MMA research so you can win big on whatever or whoever you bet on.
First, let us start with the foreigner, Conor McGregor. McGregor hails from Ireland and is the reigning UFC lightweight champion and former UFC featherweight champion. In his career, McGregor holds a record of 21 wins and 3 losses, with 18 of his wins coming via the knockout. He is no stranger to the big stages as he holds four of the top six highest grossing pay-per-view fights in UFC history; in addition to the most buys ever during UFC 202 against Nate Diaz.
On the other hand, Mayweather has quite the number of accolades his name as well. In his professional career, he has garnered the following stats: 49 wins, 0 losses, 26 wins via the knockout, Bronze medal in 1996 Olympics, Five-Division world champion, and Fifteen total world championships. Put that all together, and at the age of 40, Mayweather has to be the most decorated boxer of all time.
You are probably thinking to yourself: “If Mayweather is the best boxer of all time, then what the heck is McGregor doing going into this element and trying to beat the undisputed champ in his backyard?” Nobody really knows what McGregor is thinking other than the fact that he thinks much differently than the rest of us. He is a true showman and is looking for the next bigger stage for him to conquer. Now, this is no small feat going into Las Vegas and attempting to dethrone the best boxer, this generation, and possibly all-time. Make sure to tune in on the 26th to see what surely will be a fight for the ages.
First, let us start with the foreigner, Conor McGregor. McGregor hails from Ireland and is the reigning UFC lightweight champion and former UFC featherweight champion. In his career, McGregor holds a record of 21 wins and 3 losses, with 18 of his wins coming via the knockout. He is no stranger to the big stages as he holds four of the top six highest grossing pay-per-view fights in UFC history; in addition to the most buys ever during UFC 202 against Nate Diaz.
On the other hand, Mayweather has quite the number of accolades his name as well. In his professional career, he has garnered the following stats: 49 wins, 0 losses, 26 wins via the knockout, Bronze medal in 1996 Olympics, Five-Division world champion, and Fifteen total world championships. Put that all together, and at the age of 40, Mayweather has to be the most decorated boxer of all time.
You are probably thinking to yourself: “If Mayweather is the best boxer of all time, then what the heck is McGregor doing going into this element and trying to beat the undisputed champ in his backyard?” Nobody really knows what McGregor is thinking other than the fact that he thinks much differently than the rest of us. He is a true showman and is looking for the next bigger stage for him to conquer. Now, this is no small feat going into Las Vegas and attempting to dethrone the best boxer, this generation, and possibly all-time. Make sure to tune in on the 26th to see what surely will be a fight for the ages.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Taking Advantage of the Dog Days in June
Because the baseball season is a long one with a total of 162 games, it can take a toll on the players during the middle of the season. Players may lose motivation and start to tire out from playing so many games. Not only this, but with the blistering summer heat coaches are more inclined to rest players in games in the middle of the season because they seem “meaningless”.
In order to prevent this from happening, coaches often bring up younger prospects to play. Coaches put in newer pitchers in the middle of the season so the new pitchers can potentially get into the major leagues of baseball and be apart of the everyday roster. It is very advantageous to roster players from a team who is facing a younger pitcher because younger players do not have much experience and they are usually not as skilled has an average major league pitcher. This a very interesting daily fantasy baseball strategy to utilize. Granted, this takes a large amount of research and prospect watching in order to target the correct youngsters to stack your team against. Younger pitchers also lack the skills and tricks that regular major league pitchers have which can give your team an advantage. When you have a new pitcher getting called up for the first time, their ability to play is unpredictable.
Younger pitchers are also more prone to making mistakes due to lack of experience.They may play very well one time , yet play badly in another game. This is advantageous to fantasy baseball teams because new pitchers are not as consistent in their pitching skills as seasoned major league pitchers. Younger pitchers don’t have as much experience as they have just started in the leagues, they must build up their repertoire in order to climb up to the major leagues. It is interesting to see younger pitchers face off against teams with experienced pitchers because it add pressure to the younger pitchers to do well for their team. When the younger pitcher is not as skilled, the other team has a much better chance of winning the game if the opposing team has a seasoned pitcher on the team.
In order to prevent this from happening, coaches often bring up younger prospects to play. Coaches put in newer pitchers in the middle of the season so the new pitchers can potentially get into the major leagues of baseball and be apart of the everyday roster. It is very advantageous to roster players from a team who is facing a younger pitcher because younger players do not have much experience and they are usually not as skilled has an average major league pitcher. This a very interesting daily fantasy baseball strategy to utilize. Granted, this takes a large amount of research and prospect watching in order to target the correct youngsters to stack your team against. Younger pitchers also lack the skills and tricks that regular major league pitchers have which can give your team an advantage. When you have a new pitcher getting called up for the first time, their ability to play is unpredictable.
Younger pitchers are also more prone to making mistakes due to lack of experience.They may play very well one time , yet play badly in another game. This is advantageous to fantasy baseball teams because new pitchers are not as consistent in their pitching skills as seasoned major league pitchers. Younger pitchers don’t have as much experience as they have just started in the leagues, they must build up their repertoire in order to climb up to the major leagues. It is interesting to see younger pitchers face off against teams with experienced pitchers because it add pressure to the younger pitchers to do well for their team. When the younger pitcher is not as skilled, the other team has a much better chance of winning the game if the opposing team has a seasoned pitcher on the team.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Draftking's Interleague Slates
If there is one thing soccer enthusiasts could agree on it is this: There is not enough of it in DFS. Draftkings was the pioneer of making Daily Fantasy Soccer a reality and the userbase ran with it. Draftkings simply could not make enough slates to make, some of the most passionate sports fans in the world, satisfied. FanDuel recently stepped into the DFS soccer realm but did so minimally only offering slates for the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League games. About a month ago, DraftKings revolutionized fantasy soccer by creating their own kind of soccer slates called Interleague.
The Interleague slates are simply extraordinaire. These slates are comprised of some of the biggest soccer matches around Europe’s top five leagues. The leagues that have been featured so far are: Barclay’s Premier League (in England), La Liga (in Spain). Ligue 1 (in France), Bundesliga (in Germany), and Serie A (in Italy). This allows for some pretty awesome lineup construction and even harder fantasy analysis for the top plays of the slate. Imagine pairing Gigi Buffon in your goal with Lionel Messi at the Attack and David Alaba anchoring your defensive line. To have this much exposure to some of the greatest in the world translates into some of the most exhilarating one hundred and fifty minutes in Daily Fantasy Sports.
Although with this much exposure to all of these different leagues, these slates can be some of the hardest. Previously, the soccer novice could join a Champions League and/or a Barclay’s slate and comprise their team of the big name super stars (Cristiano Ronaldo and Alexis Sanchez) and fill their team around them with guys they have little knowledge about. Unfortunately in Interleague, that soccer strategy is doomed. With soccer being the world’s most popular sport, there are fanatics everywhere looking to get into any kind of fantasy action. Against these passionate and knowledge fans, it will be nearly impossible to compete in these slates without the proper fantasy soccer research, strategy, and analysis. Although Draftkings made fantasy soccer more accessible to everyone; they definitely upped the ante quite a bit thanks in part to this large increase in competition as more players than ever are playing fantasy soccer.
The Interleague slates are simply extraordinaire. These slates are comprised of some of the biggest soccer matches around Europe’s top five leagues. The leagues that have been featured so far are: Barclay’s Premier League (in England), La Liga (in Spain). Ligue 1 (in France), Bundesliga (in Germany), and Serie A (in Italy). This allows for some pretty awesome lineup construction and even harder fantasy analysis for the top plays of the slate. Imagine pairing Gigi Buffon in your goal with Lionel Messi at the Attack and David Alaba anchoring your defensive line. To have this much exposure to some of the greatest in the world translates into some of the most exhilarating one hundred and fifty minutes in Daily Fantasy Sports.
Although with this much exposure to all of these different leagues, these slates can be some of the hardest. Previously, the soccer novice could join a Champions League and/or a Barclay’s slate and comprise their team of the big name super stars (Cristiano Ronaldo and Alexis Sanchez) and fill their team around them with guys they have little knowledge about. Unfortunately in Interleague, that soccer strategy is doomed. With soccer being the world’s most popular sport, there are fanatics everywhere looking to get into any kind of fantasy action. Against these passionate and knowledge fans, it will be nearly impossible to compete in these slates without the proper fantasy soccer research, strategy, and analysis. Although Draftkings made fantasy soccer more accessible to everyone; they definitely upped the ante quite a bit thanks in part to this large increase in competition as more players than ever are playing fantasy soccer.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Promoting efficient data management among hedge funds
Data management is a critical component of any hedge fund operations. After all, datasets – from client investors, from the financial market, or from the global economy in general – form the basis of any investment or policy decision for hedge funds.
More specifically, fund managers use data to determine market trends, and predict the potential returns that will come with each particular investment move. They use data to evaluate the investment-worthiness of companies, or the costs that the client investors’ assets can carry. They also use data to conduct risk modelling analyses.
Fortunately, we live in a time when most hedge fund executives already have a deep appreciation of the importance of proper data management. Moreover, so many tools are now available for efficient and cost-effective execution of this function.
Cloud-based platforms, for one, may be a taken-for-granted development, but it adopting this kind of solution represents a huge step for any hedge fund management firm. Through a Cloud-enabled technology, real-time collaboration is now possible online – an affordable, fast, and convenient way to perform data management tasks. Client investors, the fund managers, partners, and other stakeholders can now easily make complex calculations, communicate, and upload, access, and edit files – from wherever they are on the globe.
The best breed of these platforms offer access configurations that promote security and privacy of information, can accommodate the use of multiple languages and currencies, accommodate different report types, are capable of different kinds of data visualization, and allow for easy retrieval of information.
Adopting the latest solutions can admittedly be cost-prohibitive for hedge fund management firms. But today, an option that many managers are adopting is tapping the assistance of asset servicing firms.
The top third party service providers help hedge funds access first-rate technology for data management sans the usual costs involved. Instead, this access becomes part of a bigger package of many functions that they can take on as they perform asset servicing tasks, which include such middle and back office functions as risk management, compliance management, accounting, shareholder reporting, fund payments, and tax reporting.
In addition, these asset servicing firms free their client hedge fund managers from the hassles of choosing the best out of what may be a hundred solutions for their business type, as well as the costs involved in recruiting and training people how to take advantage of these technologies. With their help, the task of data management becomes much more manageable.
More specifically, fund managers use data to determine market trends, and predict the potential returns that will come with each particular investment move. They use data to evaluate the investment-worthiness of companies, or the costs that the client investors’ assets can carry. They also use data to conduct risk modelling analyses.
Fortunately, we live in a time when most hedge fund executives already have a deep appreciation of the importance of proper data management. Moreover, so many tools are now available for efficient and cost-effective execution of this function.
Cloud-based platforms, for one, may be a taken-for-granted development, but it adopting this kind of solution represents a huge step for any hedge fund management firm. Through a Cloud-enabled technology, real-time collaboration is now possible online – an affordable, fast, and convenient way to perform data management tasks. Client investors, the fund managers, partners, and other stakeholders can now easily make complex calculations, communicate, and upload, access, and edit files – from wherever they are on the globe.
The best breed of these platforms offer access configurations that promote security and privacy of information, can accommodate the use of multiple languages and currencies, accommodate different report types, are capable of different kinds of data visualization, and allow for easy retrieval of information.
Adopting the latest solutions can admittedly be cost-prohibitive for hedge fund management firms. But today, an option that many managers are adopting is tapping the assistance of asset servicing firms.
The top third party service providers help hedge funds access first-rate technology for data management sans the usual costs involved. Instead, this access becomes part of a bigger package of many functions that they can take on as they perform asset servicing tasks, which include such middle and back office functions as risk management, compliance management, accounting, shareholder reporting, fund payments, and tax reporting.
In addition, these asset servicing firms free their client hedge fund managers from the hassles of choosing the best out of what may be a hundred solutions for their business type, as well as the costs involved in recruiting and training people how to take advantage of these technologies. With their help, the task of data management becomes much more manageable.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Benefits of efficient data management in hedge funds
Data management is an important determinant of a hedge fund operation’s success. This makes it crucial for hedge funds to invest in a state-of-the-art platform for storing and managing data from various asset stakeholders – from the fund manager, to the client investors and industry partners.
Here are the benefits of a smart and efficient data management practice in hedge fund management, made possible by a portfolio management system with superior features:
Improved accuracy of output. Where advanced computation capabilities are involved, there is going to be significant improvement in terms of the accuracy of data being produced. There will be decrease in human error, as functions may now be automated.
Faster performance of tasks. Through the use of technology, tasks can be performed much faster, saving the company hours and hours and precious manpower that could be devoted instead to more strategic goals. Data can be retrieved and organized in less than a minute, if not with the click of a button, based on specified parameters. And when the employees can do their tasks with speed and ease, they will be much more driven and register higher productivity.
Savings on the use of physical space. When data is kept on physical records, the space to be consumed for a filing system could be significant. Today, innovative data management tools save an enormous amount of information on the cloud – ready to be accessed and updated by authorized users anytime, anywhere. No need to maintain transaction records and the equipment used to store them.
Improved ability to share data. With technology, users can easily share information via their common platform. Cloud-based solutions can be used to upload and download data, and to facilitate collaborations, too.
Promotion of data privacy and security. Speaking of authorized users, the first-rate data management systems can assign access codes to categories of information, so that only the select users within the system can view them. Privacy and security of company and client investor data are paramount and are given much emphasis by industry regulators of hedge funds.
More convenient compliance management. Adhering to the various regulations covering the hedge fund management business can be quite a challenge. With a good data management tool, tasks related to compliance can be made easy. Reporting can be facilitated by features that arrange raw information into required formats, and fund managers may receive alerts for submission deadlines.
Topnotch portfolio management software solutions with these features are available through asset servicing firms.
Here are the benefits of a smart and efficient data management practice in hedge fund management, made possible by a portfolio management system with superior features:
Improved accuracy of output. Where advanced computation capabilities are involved, there is going to be significant improvement in terms of the accuracy of data being produced. There will be decrease in human error, as functions may now be automated.
Faster performance of tasks. Through the use of technology, tasks can be performed much faster, saving the company hours and hours and precious manpower that could be devoted instead to more strategic goals. Data can be retrieved and organized in less than a minute, if not with the click of a button, based on specified parameters. And when the employees can do their tasks with speed and ease, they will be much more driven and register higher productivity.
Savings on the use of physical space. When data is kept on physical records, the space to be consumed for a filing system could be significant. Today, innovative data management tools save an enormous amount of information on the cloud – ready to be accessed and updated by authorized users anytime, anywhere. No need to maintain transaction records and the equipment used to store them.
Improved ability to share data. With technology, users can easily share information via their common platform. Cloud-based solutions can be used to upload and download data, and to facilitate collaborations, too.
Promotion of data privacy and security. Speaking of authorized users, the first-rate data management systems can assign access codes to categories of information, so that only the select users within the system can view them. Privacy and security of company and client investor data are paramount and are given much emphasis by industry regulators of hedge funds.
More convenient compliance management. Adhering to the various regulations covering the hedge fund management business can be quite a challenge. With a good data management tool, tasks related to compliance can be made easy. Reporting can be facilitated by features that arrange raw information into required formats, and fund managers may receive alerts for submission deadlines.
Topnotch portfolio management software solutions with these features are available through asset servicing firms.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Best practices in data management for hedge funds
Our age has been dubbed the age of information. Vast amounts of knowledge are now at the tips of our fingers, and platforms already exist for the transmission of data at the click of a button. For hedge funds, trends involving the improved access to data have become crucial in promoting evidence-based investment decisions – decisions influenced by an analysis of fund growth patterns, interest rates, and risk measures, among other factors.
Below is a list of best practices to adopt, to make the most out of the present crop of data management technologies, and the next ones to come:
Adherence to security protocols. Data is now easily accessed, and shared, across platforms, across continents, in the real-time. Hedge funds need security protocols in place to prevent any breach to the network, which will make a company’s digital infrastructure and business strategy vulnerable to attacks. Protocols should cover such practices as the use of encryption when sending files to other networks, setting up of protection for data storage units and mobile devices, and the installation of advanced antivirus solutions, firewalls, and security patches to the network computers. Staff should be properly briefed – and trained – regarding protection of company information, and strict measures should be in place for any such process of allowed data release.
Automation of select processes. Humans can be prone to errors, especially in tasks marked by repetition and calculations. For these cases, automation features of data management solutions should be duly explored and optimized, because this will ensure accurate and precise outputs. At the same time, this practice reserves the precious time and high-level skills of the staff for core and complicated functions, such as strategizing, building relationships with client-investors, or conducting thorough risk analysis involving the assets under their management.
Use of cloud-based solutions. Data management lends much more benefits when access to information is easy and convenient. A cloud-based data management platform allows this. When data is on the Cloud, multiple parties can simultaneuously view files from wherever they are, make changes that will be reflected in the real-time, and even engage in collaborations. The more advanced solutions are capable of instant data aggregation and validation – functions that only raise the bar in data warehousing.
Among today’s breed of hedge funds, leading asset servicing firms provide the much-needed staff and technology support for adopting these best practices, ushering in a new era in data management among fund managers.
Below is a list of best practices to adopt, to make the most out of the present crop of data management technologies, and the next ones to come:
Adherence to security protocols. Data is now easily accessed, and shared, across platforms, across continents, in the real-time. Hedge funds need security protocols in place to prevent any breach to the network, which will make a company’s digital infrastructure and business strategy vulnerable to attacks. Protocols should cover such practices as the use of encryption when sending files to other networks, setting up of protection for data storage units and mobile devices, and the installation of advanced antivirus solutions, firewalls, and security patches to the network computers. Staff should be properly briefed – and trained – regarding protection of company information, and strict measures should be in place for any such process of allowed data release.
Automation of select processes. Humans can be prone to errors, especially in tasks marked by repetition and calculations. For these cases, automation features of data management solutions should be duly explored and optimized, because this will ensure accurate and precise outputs. At the same time, this practice reserves the precious time and high-level skills of the staff for core and complicated functions, such as strategizing, building relationships with client-investors, or conducting thorough risk analysis involving the assets under their management.
Use of cloud-based solutions. Data management lends much more benefits when access to information is easy and convenient. A cloud-based data management platform allows this. When data is on the Cloud, multiple parties can simultaneuously view files from wherever they are, make changes that will be reflected in the real-time, and even engage in collaborations. The more advanced solutions are capable of instant data aggregation and validation – functions that only raise the bar in data warehousing.
Among today’s breed of hedge funds, leading asset servicing firms provide the much-needed staff and technology support for adopting these best practices, ushering in a new era in data management among fund managers.
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