Friday, September 29, 2017

The Lie in the Numbers


On a day that finds Kris Bryant of the Cubs with 73 RBIs, FanGraphs listed him as the NL’s best player as determined by Wins Above Replacement (WAR).

What about fellow third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Rockies?  Somehow, Arenado’s 129 RBIs don’t add up to Bryant’s 73.  And the Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt’s 120 RBIs or the Marlins’ Marcell Ozuna’s 119 or even the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo’s 109.  Nope.  Something about those players the magic formula did not like.  So, Bryant it is, although, to his credit, Bryant doesn’t seem all that impressed by his anointing.

I pity the fans of any team that bases player decisions on such nonsense.  “Sabermetrics” can lead straight to the same basement the Philadelphia A’s used to claim as home.

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