Defense

[Thurston Fluff]

I'm kind of surprised a public entity didn't try to do this already. At least on a small scale. All it should take is three cameras and some math to figure out.

[logan82]

UZR has flaws but it is probably the best we can get right now. It would be nice to know how well a player fields balls depending on where they are positioned.

 

I wonder why they don't time how long a ball stays in the air and measure how far each one is from the defender's original position. Perhaps there just isn't enough camera angles to show each one but it would really help to find what distance an average fielder could cover in a set amount of time.

Not to go too far down my war against WAR road here but if it includes measures that we all know to be lacking why does anyone still put any stock in their results?

 

I asked this question a couple of years ago in the stats forum. It is technology that already exists called FieldFX, but I think it is only in a couple of stadiums right now on an experimental basis. The knowledge gained from this technology is pretty powerful, so I don't know who has access to it--I think the powers that be are trying to figure out how best to use it before it is publicized.

I don't know if it will ever be publicly available. There is also the 2TB of data per game to sift through.

[sveumrules]

Not to go too far down my war against WAR road here but if it includes measures that we all know to be lacking why does anyone still put any stock in their results?

 

There are a limited number of avenues through which a player can provide value to his team. He can do this by being healthy and in the lineup, by hitting, by running the bases, by fielding and by being skilled enough to play more challenging defensive positions.

 

Currently WAR incorporates the best metrics available in each of those respective areas to try and come up with one number, a jumping off point if you will, representative of that player's overall worth and contribution.

 

The creators of the various WARs will readily admit that some of the inputs have a higher level of reliability than others, but again, they are the best we currently have available. They also advise against treating the results as absolutes, because they clearly are not.

[Thurston Fluff]

Currently WAR incorporates the best metrics available in each of those respective areas to try and come up with one number, a jumping off point if you will, representative of that player's overall worth and contribution.

 

Mud is the closest looking thing to chocolate. Does that mean we should accept mud as a reasonable substitute for chocolate until something better comes along?

[sveumrules]

No, of course not. Everyone knows pitcher wins, RBI and fielding percentage are the only things which can come close to replicating the divine joys of chocolate.

[Baldkin]

Currently WAR incorporates the best metrics available in each of those respective areas to try and come up with one number, a jumping off point if you will, representative of that player's overall worth and contribution.

 

Mud is the closest looking thing to chocolate. Does that mean we should accept mud as a reasonable substitute for chocolate until something better comes along?

 

You don't like it, don't eat it. Plain and simple.

 

Just don't complain when you have no better alternative and refuse to come up with something better when other people choose to eat the mud.

[Thurston Fluff]

Problem is people keep feeding it to me like it is a reasonable alternative. If you want to eat mud and think it is good enough until something else better comes along go ahead. Just don't tell me it is best you can do so I should accept it until you find some chocolate. I'm not going to hijack this thread so I'll just let it rest at that.

[sveumrules]

Problem is people keep feeding it to me like it is a reasonable alternative.

 

A reasonable alternative to what though? WAR is the only metric I'm aware of that attempts to measure a player's total worth in a single number. Using your analogy mud is to chocolate as WAR is to...what?

 

Also, if people really are "feeding it" to you and telling you that you "should accept it" maybe it's time to try a new restaurant?

[Thurston Fluff]

I posted a response Sveumrules but I really don't want to disrupt a thread on defense. Rest assured this debate will come up again in a more appropriate spot then we will have at it.