Baseball Things You Didn't Know Until 2022 (Or at least I didn't)

[Benjamin Grimm]

http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/JarvisJane.jpg>

[kcmets]

Yeah, I didn't know that. Fun Jane Jarvis tidbit!

[batmagadanleadoff]

Cant find a more appropriate thread for this item and didn't wanna start a brand new one just for this.



Francisco Lindor ranks in the top 10 (8th) this season in offensive bWAR (NL). How is that possible?

[Fman99]

I know what WAR is but what is bWAR? Is that like Gwar?

[G-Fafif]

bWAR is Baseball Reference's metric, differentiated from the FanGraphs version (fWAR).

[batmagadanleadoff]

What's Gwar? Is that like bWAR?

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, while both purport to measure the same thing, they have differing formulae that get you there. And I think both are proprietary, sort of like the NFL quarterback ranking formula. So who knows what's in the sauce? But followers have come to distinguish one from the other with the lower-case letter.



I think the purest and most comprehensive measure of a player's performance is Metliness — or, based on the Crane Pool's particular formulations, cMET.

[MFS62]

bWAR, gWAR, fWAR

All I am saying is "give peace a chance".



Later

[Fman99]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=93503 time=1653502759 user_id=68]
What's Gwar? Is that like bWAR?

[Ceetar]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=93499 time=1653499390 user_id=68]
Cant find a more appropriate thread for this item and didn't wanna start a brand new one just for this.



Francisco Lindor ranks in the top 10 (8th) this season in offensive bWAR (NL). How is that possible?

[batmagadanleadoff]

=Ceetar post_id=93514 time=1653506351 user_id=102]
=batmagadanleadoff post_id=93499 time=1653499390 user_id=68]
Cant find a more appropriate thread for this item and didn't wanna start a brand new one just for this.



Francisco Lindor ranks in the top 10 (8th) this season in offensive bWAR (NL). How is that possible?

[Ceetar]

He's been really good. I dunno, I've been eyeballing him this season and I read that and thought "yeah, that sounds about right".



I wouldn't call bWAR objective though. for one, with straight bWAR Lindor is 31st. He's been dinged a little on defense this year (something that seems true too). by offensive bWAR he is 8th, but tied with McNeil and C.J. Cron. it's really more of an estimate though, the 1.5 of Freeman at 15th is roughly the same.



He's 22nd in fWAR (all MLB), fangraphs a little more forgiving of his defense.



That takes into account position and baserunning and everything though. He's 59th of 168 qualified batters in wRC+, or run creation. Which is still pretty good, but he doesn't get the premium defensive position adjustment there.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Yes. I agree with all of that analysis. I'm not saying that Lindor is awful. And he had an awesome April where he ranked top 10 in several categories. I just didnt get the sense that he'd rank so high in offensive bWAR.



How's "formulaic "? Do you like that word better than "objective"?

[Willets Point]

Gwar is a measurement specific to Richmond, VA.

https://i0.wp.com/rockshowcritique.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/GWAR-NEW-PRESS.jpg?ssl=1>

[Ceetar]

Yes. I agree with all of that analysis. I'm not saying that Lindor is awful. And he had an awesome April where he ranked top 10 in several categories. I just didnt get the sense that he'd rank so high in offensive bWAR. How's "formulaic "? Do you like that word better than "objective"?

yeah, maybe. objective makes it sound so final to me. It's a tool for understanding what's happening on the field, but not so much the final word on it.



A lot of it's the positional adjustment, the wRC+ ranking shows that he's not really creating runs at the 8th best rate, even accounting for park factors and the like. It's something I've been curious about actually, do SS/CF show up higher early on, before the less premium positions have a time to make up for the positional adjustments with more dingers? or does it round out?

[Edgy MD]

Since 2019, Melvin Upton, Jr. has elected to again be publicly known as B.J. Upton.

[whippoorwill]

Willets Point wrote: Gwar is a measurement specific to Richmond, VA. https://i0.wp.com/rockshowcritique.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/GWAR-NEW-PRESS.jpg?ssl=1>

Is this like an updated Village People?

[Frayed Knot]

Kenny Lofton, listed at 6' 0" / 180, played basketball at U. Arizona. OK that part you probably knew as did I.



What I just found out is that Kenneth Lofton Jr. played hoops at LA Tech and is currently on a G-League tryout with Memphis where he's listed at 6' 7" / 275 !!

What the hell happened there?!?

[roger_that]

Frayed Knot wrote: What the hell happened there?!?

First guess would be that Mrs. Lofton got a little too friendly with Richie Sexson (6'7", 230) when Mr. Lofton was his teammate on the 1999 Indians.

[Edgy MD]

That's a scandalous but tempting thought, seeing as how the hoopster kind of looks biracial. But I think your second guess would have been the correct one — and that would be that Kenneth Lofton, Jr. isn't the son of the baseball player at all. The father of the basketballer was a soldier and a postal worker.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was gonna guess that Mrs Lofton was 7'4".

[Edgy MD]

I guess I should have known this long ago, but Paul McCartney, despite famously playing a lefthanded axe, swung the stick from the right side.



[fimg=500]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/beatleball.jpg[/fimg]

[Benjamin Grimm]

No duh! That's why he platooned with Wally Backman.