Splits
Where possible, Left/Right, Home/Road, and bases empty/runners on splits for pitchers and batters are used in the simulation. Left/Right and Home/Road splits will show in the player data displays if they are available. Whenever the stats exists they are taken into account in the probability structures. For years prior to 1984, the availability of this data is due to the tremendous work of an organization called Retrosheet (www.retrosheet.org ), which collects score sheets and put them into a readable electronic form, making available an enormous number of statistics that otherwise would not be available. The Nostalgia Baseball Database reflects this work.
Note that the three basic split types are not weighted equally when calculating hitting probabilities. A pattern of linear weighting is applied, such that Left/Right is weighted at 5, Home/Road at 3, and Bases Empty/Runners at only 1. That is because, statistically speaking, left/right tendencies are the most important predictor of what might happen in a given at-bat while averages with various configurations are largely inconsequential. Disagreement abounds over the importance of situational statistics as predictors of player performance. To some extent, this weighting system reflects the arbitrary choices of the simulator's creator. Future versions of Nostalgia Baseball may include the ability for each owner to custom weight the importance of each split.
In the absence of splits, a default calibration is applied to all batters which makes them more effective against pitchers of opposite handedness and less effective against pitchers of the same handedness. If a player is given a platoon bias then his advantage against pitchers of opposite handedness increases slightly, and conversely his disadvantage against pitchers of the same handedness is more acute. Switch hitters are exempt from these manipulations.