My scorecard is an attempt to support the Total Baseball app that MLB datacasters use. Since the app is at-bat-based, the scorecard uses at-bat numbers to facilitate edits and relate player changes throughout the game. It also provides pitch-by-pitch grids and a strike zone for tracking pitches and pitch location. The scorecard has sections for pitchers (with customizable column headings), notes and edits (again, referenced by at-bat) and meta-game details that we track, like umpires and weather. I’ve tried to include everything a stringer needs, with nothing that he doesn’t (Dan Fox has written more about the life of the MLB datacaster).

Instructions

The team name goes in the blank cell in the batting-order column. Use the split-cells in the Pos/AB column to indicate the position and at-bat when a player enters the game or when he changes positions. The at-bat container is comprised of the following: at-bat/inning cell pitch-sequence grid: Mark the letter for pitch event. pitch location tracker: For each pitch that you mark in the grid, put a number (1, 2, 3, etc.) in the area of the strike zone that corresponds to the pitch sequence number. play code: Write the play code above the horizontal line. baserunning code: Write the baserunning code below the line.

In the pitchers’ section, create your own column headings to track the data that’s important to you. Also, indicate the at-bat when each reliever entered.

In the notes/edits section, indicate the at-bat for the note or edit you need to make.

Part of the meta-game data is on page 1. The other part is on page 2.

Here are some other scorecards being used by MLB.com stringers:

• EmC Eastsiders whipped up his own scorecard.
• Vonnie Craig-Parker uses these: Visitor, Home.

Oh, and here’s an excel version of my scorecard, in case you want to tweak it (and a .pdf version updated for 2008).

Update (Sept. 14, 2009): In response to a Twitter inquiry, I’ve uploaded a picture of my scorecard from the 2009 All-Star Game.