Power Ranking Debate:
Several months ago, I was on an airplane writing an article for the ole Push website because that’s somehow the only time I have to do anything lately. Unfortunately, Sean also had zero time at the time because pandemic staffing had killed us both…. so it went unpublished. However, it makes an excellent opportunity for this first article back on the site. It was about the growth of the game and specifically directions the ACL should advance in and looking back on it, they actually did most of what I talked about (dusts off shoulder).
Today, I’m again on a plane writing because I have another 6 hours until I land in Maui. Humble brags aside, the biggest point I made in my previous article was that we needed statistics (and more importantly, advanced analytics) released to the public. Well, sometime in the past month, that actually happened so what better time to say I told ya so and to do a deep dive analysis in what they mean and a player power ranking.
In order to access statistics you follow the site here!
Below is what we have for analytics. This is much more than we used to have from just PPR and DPR.
4BAG% - 4 Bagger Round Percentage
BIN% - Bags In the Hole Percentage
BOFF% - Bags Off the Board Percentage
BON% - Bags On the Board Percentage
DPR - Differential per Round Average
OPPR - Opponents' Points per Round Average
PPR - Points per Round Average
RDSWON - Total Rounds Won
RDSWON% - Percentage of Total Rounds Won
RDSTIED - Total Rounds Tied
RDSTIED% - Percentage of Total Rounds Tied
RDSLOST - Total Rounds Lost
RDSLOST% - Percentage of Total Rounds Lost
TOT4B - Total 4 Bagger Rounds
TOTPTS - Total Points Scored
TOTRDS - Total Rounds Played
*combined singles and doubles statistics
First things first, (obligatory) holy Matt Guy (insert GOAT pic) . It’s obvious he either gets everyone’s best game or his board is usually so open because his opponent PPR is sky high but still leagues below his PPR. That 86% BIN% (Bags In %) is… wild. His “offensive” numbers are pretty much exactly what we all should expect and as well for his “defensive” numbers. No one else in the top 20 has an OPPR (Opponent PPR) near or over 10, but Guy’s is an incredible 10.23 and he’s still winning? That’s GOAT shit.
The thing I’m second most impressed with is Doug Zafft’s 1.93% bags off percentage (BOFF%). My personal goal is somewhere under 10% of bags off every game, let alone under 2% for *checks notes* 401 rounds. That is insane levels of consistency.
Looking across the rest of the standings, if you want to be considered a top 20 pro, you’re going to need less than 5% of your bags off over a large sample and a DPR of greater than .5. And a ton of time to practice and fund it and everything else .
My current power rankings top 5 would consist of Matt Guy, Mark Richards, Jamie Graham, Josh Holland, and Cody Johnson. I’ve already touched on Matt Guy, but Mark Richards has been next level in his first year. A .88 DPR is absolutely ELITE. Jamie and Cody have been obvious studs here who can make any shot and have been thriving early. I’m hoping Jamie can have a full blown return to his dominant form.
I’d like to throw a short little shout out to the ACL for doing what I said without it ever being told to them or to the internet. Stats being released to the public is great for the game and fanboys like me. My mimosa is gone so that’s also the end of the writing juices for today, so that’s all she wrote for today. ~~Andrew
Sean’s Take:
Wow….let’s all just take a second and digest this info for a second. I want to thank Andrew for taking a few seconds to write this in between sips of his mimosa… while on a plane...to Maui…what a trooper. I mean seriously, if this kid had been born like 15 years earlier, he MOST definitely would have worked at Abercrombie….you didn’t….right Andrew??
Anyways…back to Cornhole and letting you all know where he messed up!
One thing Andrew ABSOLUTELY nailed was the advanced statistics being released to the public! Not only does this give Cornhole losers like myself something to dive into and talk about, but it now also gives gambling degenerates (do I fall into both categories…) the ammunition to make the “smart bets”. If you’re still lost on who or where to place your bets…check out the Shuck it page or tune in next week to the next episode of “Shuck it or Chuck it” (shameless plugs end here..I promise).
When it comes to “Power Rankings” obviously analytics will help. I like to think that they tell the story behind the often used term, “Eye test”. Matt Guy is the undisputed best player in the world for all the reasons Andrew so eloquently described above. At the moment, you really just have to hope to catch him on his “off game”…which is still probably better than 80% of the fields “best game”. Coming in at #2 for me is Mr. Mark Richards. His PPR isn’t as flashy as some of the others, but his COMBINED .88 DPR is just crazy when you think about it…I mean this dude is playing the best players in the world. My #3 would be Alex Rawls, who was somehow, inexplicably left off of Andrews TOP 20?!?! The dude is sitting at number 2 in Singles and Doubles, has a top 10 combined PPR and in Singles is winning an impressive 42% of the rounds he is playing. I will be the first to admit…coming into the season…I wasn’t sold on him yet….He proved me wrong quickly. Now at #4 I have Jamie Graham who seems to be rounding back into form. He has been a game or two away from making the broadcast in Singles and seems to be only a matter of time. The stats are there and we have seen in previous years just how dominant he can be. #5 is Jimmy Youmans. Statistically, it is not the “sexy” pick…but the dude just finished a perfect season in Open points, has the arms every man is jealous of and has improved his pro ranking in each season. Currently he sits at tied for 6th (Singles)..but he is #5 in my heart.
Honorable mentions:
-Josh Holland: This Kitty slinging bagger is as consistent as they come (2nd in PPR, DPR and 4BAG%). Losing to Alex Rawls at the last National, to make the broadcast knocked him out of my Top 5…but this dude has top 2 potential all day long
-Jackson Gore: 1/2 of the Twin Terror has indeed been a nightmare in the pro circuit. Coming out of the PDC Jackson has caused quite the stir and has shown he is currently a top 10 player in the ACL
Let us know your thoughts below!! Until Next time!