I followed the approach I described here to evaluate total player value compared to an average replacement player. I pulled the top 10 rookies in baseball (hitters only) according to VORP, and then pulled fielding data on them at all positions that they played. Total player value was reported as the combined total of their offensive runs vs. replacement (VORP) and their fielding performance (THT's data, converted to +- runs) vs. replacement (replacements are assumed to be averaged fielders). Here are the results (data are current through 9/20):
| Name | Team | Pos | VORP | +-Runs | TotalValue |
| Tulowitzki | COL | SS | 36.3 | 27.2 | 63.5 |
| Pence | HOU | CF | 36.8 | 6.4 | 43.2 |
| Pedroia | BOS | 2B | 32.6 | -3.7 | 28.9 |
| Young | ARI | CF | 15.3 | 11.6 | 26.9 |
| Buck | OAK | RF | 18.3 | 8.4 | 26.7 |
| Loney | LAN | 1B | 24.8 | -0.6 | 24.2 |
| Braun | MIL | 3B | 50.3 | -27.5 | 22.8 |
| Escobar | ATL | IF | 22.0 | -2.5 | 19.5 |
| Hamilton | CIN | CF | 25.9 | -8.4 | 17.5 |
| Harris | TBA | SS/2B | 25.1 | -7.7 | 17.4 |
Troy Tulowitzki is the the runaway leader among this year's rookie position players. Good offense for a middle infielder, even after an adjustment for Coors field. And what's more, he's rated as the best defensive shortstop in baseball by a full 7 runs over Tony Pena of Kansas City. Frankly, it's a slam dunk. Or should be.- Hunter Pence is also having a fine season, showing excellence on both offense and defense.
- Dustin Pedroia just edges out Travis Buck for best AL rookie position player. Though both of them trail starting pitchers Brian Bannister (39.3 VORP), Jeremy Guthrie (37.9 VORP), and Daiske Matsuzaka (34.1 VORP).
- Media favorite Ryan Braun gets killed in this analysis. He easily has been the best offensive rookie, but his defense at third base has been horrendous, second worst in baseball to Jose Bautista of Pittsburgh. Braun absolutely should not win rookie of the year. Even though he probably still will.
- Cincinnati Reds candidate Josh Hamilton comes out looking pretty bad in this analysis. But keep in mind a) he has very few AB's, in a virtual tie with Loney, Escobar, and Buck for fewest plate appearances (and he has the highest VORP of that group), and b) he's probably playing out of position in center field, as his range seems best suited to right field.
Photo by AP/David Zalubowski
Cool analysis -- it's amazing how many people debate the merits of these awards subjectively without bothering to look up a measure of hitting and fielding.
ReplyDeleteThe difference in Tulo's and Braun's fielding value is HUGE, especially considering Braun's only played 2/3 of a season. He's in Manny Ramirez territory. Looking at your original article on +/- fielding runs, it seems that it produces more extreme values than PMR or Dewan's method. Do you agree? Is there a reason/method to scale is down a bit (the correlation with other methods should remain the same.)
Hmm, I dunno. I'm looking at those data, and compared to PMR, at least, it seems like the spread of the data in those graphs is pretty similar, at least among infielders.
ReplyDeleteWith outfielders, the extremes do tend to be much higher. But those data were pulled before the recent adjustment to how outfielder zones were defined, so that might not be the case anymore...? I'd have to re-run the '06 data to know.
-j
Nice work on the Rookie of the Year blog. Just thought that I would point out that Josh Hamilton isn't the Reds' top rookie non-pitcher. That honor would go to Norris Hopper. His VORP plus fielding performance will probably have him in the top 5 by the end of the season. Not bad for what everyone has prematurely labeled a 'spare part'.
ReplyDelete