Running 2017 MLB regular season thread

I understand that part of it is more accurate now, because there's more information available now, especially regarding fielding.

But as far as what replacement level would be, how is that baseline established?

 

WAR is a frustrating metric to try to use in conversations. I was arguing with someone one day that a player can't keep up his current place because of an unsustainable BABIP, i.e. he hasn't been as good as the stats indicate.

His response was, "Oh, yeah? WAR disagrees. But I guess you know better than that."

Sigh.

 

There are still a lot of people out there, appropo of nothing, who play the "NERDS!!!!" card when you use anything beyond batting average, home runs and RBIs to evaluate players.

My brother will detail every ingredient in his latest dinner masterpiece, where he got it, where it's "sourced from," what fucking temperature it was cooked at in each of his kitchen full of contraptions that look like Medieval torture devices.

But if I use so much as on-base percentage ... "NERD!!!!!"

 

Dick, do you have a link to the best information used for the replacement player this year, or last year?

The replacement player is key to the stat, and I never hear any info on it.

 

I don't. I'm totally in your boat on that. I'm sure it's been explained to me at some point, but it's like air travel by now for me. I just take it on faith that someone knows what the hell they're doing.

 

Lot of people know more about SABR than me so someone probably could explain more, but on fangraphs there explanation of the formula says they use video tracking for base running runs and fielding runs. So have no idea how they can calculate any kind of accurate WAR for guys who played before TV.

 

I get that. But even as a matter of first principle, what is a replacement level player?

 

Does anyone find any value in trying to measure the relative contributions of Ty Cobb and Mike Trout in the first place?

 

When I reread what I posted I realized it really wasn't answering/addressing your point. I'd be interested in someone from fangraphs giving an explanation for calculating WAR for players before the video era.

 

I do. I find it more interesting than knowing their raw statistics, yes.

 

Alright then. I don't even know how that's possible. I don't think WAR makes it more possible. And, as I always note, whatever these WAR numbers are, they'd be different in three years -- even taken from the same dates -- when the formula changes anyway and applies retroactively to all calculations.

 

The replacement player couldn't possibly be less relevant to the stat. It's a baseline. You could raise or lower it without changing the relative differences between players.