ESPN Player Ratings

by buckeye22fox on Jun 11, 2007 1:50 PM EDT

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playerRating?type=batting&team=cin&position=all

The Worldwide Leader has decided to come up with a way to rate everybody on an even plane. However, they think that David Ross and Juan Castro are having a better season than Edwin Encarnacion, Scott Hatteberg, and others.

I like the idea of coming up with a way to rate everyone, but it is a difficult task. I think Slyde would do a better job of creating a system to rate everyone than ESPN did.

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Juan Castro

See by ESPN standards he isn't the worst player on the team!

How is Dunn in 1st? Griff or Phillips should be 1st!

"Well you have short term, middle term, long term depends what term you are talking about"-Sweaterpants

by Zach K on Jun 11, 2007 2:16 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah

If I was coming up with such a system it would probably be based on wins provided for the team and then I'd probably adjust it to the relative quality of the league and position. I'd probably call it Shares of Wins Better than Bench or Wins Compared to Replacement Players or something like that.

2007 Reds Threat Level is Green

by Slyde on Jun 11, 2007 2:42 PM EDT reply actions

Sort of like VORP?

Currently Under Construction.

by crolfer on Jun 11, 2007 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

vorp doesnt include defense

and it's just for position players. a win-share ratio would apply to pitchers and hitters

by boobs on Jun 11, 2007 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

um yeah...

There are already numerous better systems out there. Slyde was referring to Win Shares above Bench, available at the Hardball Times, and BP's WARP3. VORP, which is the start of warp, at least accounts for position so I'd take it over this.

by Red Menace on Jun 11, 2007 5:55 PM EDT reply actions

We could use Chandrathan's system...

I watch Castro play and I can tell he sucks.

"Give them this: they never let the fact that only half of what they posted was funny stop them from posting still more." - Rastronomicals

by chandrathan on Jun 11, 2007 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions

A three way panel vote, consisting of

Chandrathan, Paul Householder and slyd and a jar with all the names of the players neatly folded inside, ready to be picked at random for tie-breakers, would provide a much more scientific rating system than ESPNs.

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball. Phil Jackson

by Madville on Jun 11, 2007 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions

€$PN $u¢K$

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Jun 11, 2007 10:14 PM EDT reply actions

Hear Hear - Let us add Daedalus to the

distinguished panel as well.

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball. Phil Jackson

by Madville on Jun 11, 2007 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I like ESPN sometimes

They have lots of guys who know Baseball Keith Law and Buster Olney being a couple, then they have the Steve Phillips and the sportcenter guys who really don't know what they are talking about. Why did they get Phillips? He makes sweaterpants look like a genuis

"Well you have short term, middle term, long term depends what term you are talking about"-Sweaterpants

by Zach K on Jun 11, 2007 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions

paging FJM...

This just keeps getting funnier. The genius behind this did an espn chat explaining his method. Kudos to this questioner.

Ian, NYC: I don't understand what your point is behind this list. There are people who have put a heck of a lot of science and research into coming up with formulas like this (Win Shares, VORP, etc), while much of what you have selected here is totally arbitrary (why exactly for BA for eaxmple?), and by pretending this is somehow scientific degrades the whole field of work on this subject. Much of what you are including here has been proven to be no reflection on individual player quality (like saves, wins and RBI to a large extent), not to mention penalizing someone because they play on a bad team. Why should anyone take this list seriously?

SportsNation Jeff Bennett: Ian, I think you hit on something. There is no sucjh thing as the perfect way to evaluate a baseball player. Win Shares and VORP are great, but you can ask the same types of questions about their lists. This system is very fluid and puts players in perspective based on where they rank in the majors vs their peers. Nothing more scientific than that.

When in doubt deny all standards. That way at least you're on the same level with everyone else.

by Red Menace on Jun 12, 2007 12:19 AM EDT reply actions

I would bet

just about any amount of money that Jeff Bennett couldn't explain VORP if his life depended on it. That chat may have even been the first time he came across the acronym.

I don't know why ESPN feels the need to embarrass themselves every couple of years like this. It was productive outs last go round. They should just buy Baseball Prospectus.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. --Oscar Wilde

by JD Arney on Jun 12, 2007 7:45 AM EDT up reply actions