2018: 41,207
2017: 40,104
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/bat.shtml
In 1998 total Home Runs reached 5,000 for the first time: 5,064. All time high:
2017: 6,105.
Home Runs are a drop in the bucket compared to Strike Outs, plus, at least the ball is getting hit with homers.
2018:
PA: 185,139
SO: 41,207
SO/PA: 41,207/185,139 = 22.2%
AB: 165,432
SO/AB: 41,207/165,432 = 25%
The following factors mean that less gifted fielders can play:
- fewer balls in play
- base runners now prohibited from crashing into fielders at second base and home plate
- shifts position fielders where batters are most likely to hit the ball
- batters unwilling to vary where they hit the ball.
It was only a few years ago that teams were trying to show how smart they were by throwing money at good fielders. Even corner outfielders:
Alex Gordon, left field
Jason Heyward, right field
WAR is Wins Above Replacement. For perspective, the top ten since 1970. Ripken led in dWAR twice but nine led in oWAR. dWAR + oWAR does NOT = WAR.
From 1970 to 2018, WAR sorted by greatest WAR Position Players
| Rk | Player | WAR/pos | dWAR | oWAR | PA | Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | GDP | SB | CS | Pos | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal Ripken Jr. | 11.5 | 3.5 | 9.2 | 717 | 1991 | 30 | BAL | AL | 162 | 650 | 99 | 210 | 46 | 5 | 34 | 114 | 53 | 15 | 46 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 6 | 1 | .323 | .374 | .566 | .940 | *6 |
| 2 | Joe Morgan | 11.0 | 2.0 | 9.4 | 639 | 1975 | 31 | CIN | NL | 146 | 498 | 107 | 163 | 27 | 6 | 17 | 94 | 132 | 3 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 67 | 10 | .327 | .466 | .508 | .974 | *4/H |
| 3 | Mookie Betts | 10.9 | 1.8 | 8.7 | 614 | 2018 | 25 | BOS | AL | 136 | 520 | 129 | 180 | 47 | 5 | 32 | 80 | 81 | 8 | 91 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 6 | .346 | .438 | .640 | 1.078 | *98/HD4 |
| 4 | Mike Trout | 10.5 | 1.0 | 9.9 | 681 | 2016 | 24 | LAA | AL | 159 | 549 | 123 | 173 | 32 | 5 | 29 | 100 | 116 | 12 | 137 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 7 | .315 | .441 | .550 | .991 | *8D/H |
| 5 | Mike Trout | 10.5 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 639 | 2012 | 20 | LAA | AL | 139 | 559 | 129 | 182 | 27 | 8 | 30 | 83 | 67 | 4 | 139 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 49 | 5 | .326 | .399 | .564 | .963 | *87/9H |
| 6 | Robin Yount | 10.5 | 1.8 | 9.9 | 704 | 1982 | 26 | MIL | AL | 156 | 635 | 129 | 210 | 46 | 12 | 29 | 114 | 54 | 2 | 63 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 14 | 3 | .331 | .379 | .578 | .957 | *6/HD |
| 7 | Alex Rodriguez | 10.4 | 2.4 | 8.9 | 672 | 2000 | 24 | SEA | AL | 148 | 554 | 134 | 175 | 34 | 2 | 41 | 132 | 100 | 5 | 121 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 4 | .316 | .420 | .606 | 1.026 | *6 |
| 8 | Mike Trout | 10.2 | 1.2 | 9.2 | 608 | 2018 | 26 | LAA | AL | 140 | 471 | 101 | 147 | 24 | 4 | 39 | 79 | 122 | 25 | 124 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 2 | .312 | .460 | .628 | 1.088 | *8D/H |
| 9 | Bryce Harper | 10.0 | 0.4 | 9.1 | 654 | 2015 | 22 | WSN | NL | 153 | 521 | 118 | 172 | 38 | 1 | 42 | 99 | 124 | 15 | 131 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 6 | 4 | .330 | .460 | .649 | 1.109 | *98/D |
| 10 | Cal Ripken Jr. | 10.0 | 3.6 | 7.7 | 716 | 1984 | 23 | BAL | AL | 162 | 641 | 103 | 195 | 37 | 7 | 27 | 86 | 71 | 1 | 89 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 1 | .304 | .374 | .510 | .884 | *6 |
Subsequent posts will provide details about WAR by fielding position since 1970, almost 50 years, based on WAR/PA. In dWAR since 1970 Gordon is rated number one among left fielders and Heyard number two among right fielders for their careers.
In 2019 Heyward is in his age 29 season, so his WAR rank is likely to go down.
WAR divided by Plate Appearances (PA). Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Previous post:
WAR is a total, not an average. Monday, March 25, 2019
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Good field/no hit players: who actually wants them? Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Not the St. Louis Cardinals. Last week they made that clear by changing shortstops from Pete Kozma to Jhonny Peralta...
Supposedly Peralta's fielding has been improving with age. I don't know how that works. It just adds to my lack of confidence in ever evolving fielding metrics.
Peralta can hit, Kozma cannot. Kozma can field, Peralta not nearly so well. St. Louis switched to the good hitting shortstop even though he is tainted by scandal and older. In 2014 Peralta will be 32, Kozma 26.
For all the talk about all the runs that really good fielders can save teams, the teams do not seem to be buying it. Maybe the teams are wrong. Or maybe the traditional approach to judging good fielding is like the definition of obscenity by the late Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart: I know it when I see it.
Or maybe the trade-off is judged too great by teams that they pretty much always side with hitting whenever possible. On the other hand most shortstops who qualified for BA in 2013 had OPS+ below 100. Shortstop by far is the position where teams are willing to use below average hitters ... just not too far below.
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Conventional wisdom is fleeting.
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