In 2021, some friends introduced me to Beat the Streak ("BTS"). It is an online game in which you have to predict (guess) a successful batter for 57 straight games.
From the official rules:
The Beat the Streak contest ("BTS") invites participants to compete by submitting predictions concerning the hitting success of MLB players. The object of BTS is to establish and build a virtual "hitting streak" by making correct consecutive predictions regarding which MLB players will record a hit for a particular gameday. To enter, you must register for BTS via the Contest Page or App (as defined below) and then, for a particular MLB gameday and match-up, select one (1) or two (2) players that you predict will record a hit (each such player prediction, a "Pick").
My first thought was, "Interesting, but no one will win it." But my friends enjoyed it, so I played for several weeks. I realized I didn't have enough information to play. Just picking your favorite couple of players didn't cut it.
So, I created a daily dashboard. I automated the dashboard to download data from my online sources and to populate my Excel spreadsheet via Power Query. Then, I crunched the numbers and put the data in a format I thought would be helpful. After weeks of development, my BTS results greatly improved. My best streak was 26 games, which is very good (but nowhere close to 57). It was now more fun to play.
Now, let's be clear. I'm not using machine learning or fancy-pants analytics. I believe there are too many variables for anyone to get 57 games. A quick Google search shows that the highest score was 51 way back in 2017. So, if this is your retirement plan, think again.
However, I loved developing the analytics piece of the puzzle.
Stay tuned...
