Comments on: wOBA http://www.fangraphs.com/library Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:54:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jamie http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-13728 jamie Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:41:39 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-13728 Q#1: why is this called weighted-onbase-AVERAGE? This is not an average. If this is an average, what does 1.000 represent (other than awesome!)? what does Ellsbury's 0.402 2011 wOBA mean? he's just over 40% of what? Q#2: Who came up with the name? Do you really think people want to use this in public (man, have you seen his woba)? I love the stat itself. Love the concept. And what you guys have done to provide us with great tools for analysing players performances, but Im not going to use a stat that sounds like a drunk jedi knight (Obi-woba kenobi?) Q#3: why is this matched up to look like OBP numbers? Isnt this a kind of replacement for slugging% (which also isnt a percentage)? what is the fascination with creating new stats and then trying to make them look like other stats? I believe the idea is that your afraid if you keep creating new stats with new numbers, we'll get fed-up. We're baseball-fanatics... we'll never get fed-up of these numbers! I think the opposite has happened, as I for one don't like viewing a new stat that just hides itself behind the appearance of an old one. Give them there own individual look and they'll be more widely accepted. Im currently taking your wOBA results and multipling them by 1.4271886648681 (as close as I can get it without knowing 'reached base on error' results) so that 1.000 matches up with the greatest single season performance ever - Babe Ruth in 1921 - and Ive called the stat BRaverage (pronounced brave-erage), meaning the Babe Ruth average. The numbers now have a meaning. How close is the player to the greatest ever season? Jacoby Ellsbury? in 2011 scored 0.574 in BRaverage. Of course, using Babe Ruths 1921 season is just an example, but my point is, lets make these stats express a point, have some kind of scale that we understand... And a name we can all pronounce (publically and literally) - though BRaverage could also be shortened to BRA, which might be even more publically embarrassing... have you seen Prince Fielders BRA? Q#1: why is this called weighted-onbase-AVERAGE? This is not an average.
If this is an average, what does 1.000 represent (other than awesome!)? what does Ellsbury’s 0.402 2011 wOBA mean? he’s just over 40% of what?

Q#2: Who came up with the name? Do you really think people want to use this in public (man, have you seen his woba)?
I love the stat itself. Love the concept. And what you guys have done to provide us with great tools for analysing players performances, but Im not going to use a stat that sounds like a drunk jedi knight (Obi-woba kenobi?)

Q#3: why is this matched up to look like OBP numbers? Isnt this a kind of replacement for slugging% (which also isnt a percentage)?
what is the fascination with creating new stats and then trying to make them look like other stats? I believe the idea is that your afraid if you keep creating new stats with new numbers, we’ll get fed-up. We’re baseball-fanatics… we’ll never get fed-up of these numbers! I think the opposite has happened, as I for one don’t like viewing a new stat that just hides itself behind the appearance of an old one. Give them there own individual look and they’ll be more widely accepted.

Im currently taking your wOBA results and multipling them by 1.4271886648681 (as close as I can get it without knowing ‘reached base on error’ results) so that 1.000 matches up with the greatest single season performance ever – Babe Ruth in 1921 – and Ive called the stat BRaverage (pronounced brave-erage), meaning the Babe Ruth average. The numbers now have a meaning. How close is the player to the greatest ever season? Jacoby Ellsbury? in 2011 scored 0.574 in BRaverage.

Of course, using Babe Ruths 1921 season is just an example, but my point is, lets make these stats express a point, have some kind of scale that we understand… And a name we can all pronounce (publically and literally) – though BRaverage could also be shortened to BRA, which might be even more publically embarrassing… have you seen Prince Fielders BRA?

]]> By: Jacob http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-10111 Jacob Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:07:27 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-10111 Perhaps I missed something but I did my own calculation for a specific player, Ian Kinsler, and came out a little off. Do the linear weights change from year to year? Perhaps I missed something but I did my own calculation for a specific player, Ian Kinsler, and came out a little off. Do the linear weights change from year to year?

]]> By: Andrew http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-9270 Andrew Sun, 31 Jul 2011 14:51:36 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-9270 Where can one find the Reached on Error stats for individual players? Where can one find the Reached on Error stats for individual players?

]]> By: Flyingelbowsmash http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-6960 Flyingelbowsmash Sat, 02 Jul 2011 18:18:14 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-6960 I don't see in player's stats the number of times they reached base on an error. I don’t see in player’s stats the number of times they reached base on an error.

]]> By: williams .482 http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-3736 williams .482 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:17:31 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-3736 a HBP also mens that the pitcher is more likely to be wild. a HBP also mens that the pitcher is more likely to be wild.

]]> By: JB http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-489 JB Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:36:21 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-489 Excellent, thank you Excellent, thank you

]]> By: craigtyle http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-482 craigtyle Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:04:31 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-482 HBPs have a slightly better linear weighting than do NIBBs. The reason for this is that pitchers have somewhat more control over NIBBs, and thus they are more frequent in those situations in which their impact is somewhat lessened (e.g., runners on second and/or third, first base open) and less frequent when their impact is greatest (e.g., bases loaded). HBPs have a slightly better linear weighting than do NIBBs. The reason for this is that pitchers have somewhat more control over NIBBs, and thus they are more frequent in those situations in which their impact is somewhat lessened (e.g., runners on second and/or third, first base open) and less frequent when their impact is greatest (e.g., bases loaded).

]]> By: Steve Slowinski http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-463 Steve Slowinski Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:24:48 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-463 This graph is for WAR, but the same general concept is the same. There's a big bunch of mediocre players once you get to a certain level. http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/483944/war_distro_2010.jpg Also, this is why I call these "estimates". Technically the 50th percentile is a bit higher than what's listed, but I wanted to express the mean instead of the 50th percentile. Makes it a tad weird. This graph is for WAR, but the same general concept is the same. There’s a big bunch of mediocre players once you get to a certain level.

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/483944/war_distro_2010.jpg

Also, this is why I call these “estimates”. Technically the 50th percentile is a bit higher than what’s listed, but I wanted to express the mean instead of the 50th percentile. Makes it a tad weird.

]]> By: RJN http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-462 RJN Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:17:10 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-462 The 25th percentile wOBA is really only .004 below the 50th percentile, but the 75th percentile is .045 above? It doesn't make intuitive sense that such a large number of players would be bunched just below the 50th percentile but not just above it. The 25th percentile wOBA is really only .004 below the 50th percentile, but the 75th percentile is .045 above? It doesn’t make intuitive sense that such a large number of players would be bunched just below the 50th percentile but not just above it.

]]> By: JB http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/#comment-418 JB Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:28:02 +0000 http://sabrlibrary.wordpress.com/?page_id=8#comment-418 Apologies if I'm being a bit lazy, cause I'm sure this answer is somewhere in this excellent library, but why are HBP weighted more than NIBB (.75 v .72)? Apologies if I’m being a bit lazy, cause I’m sure this answer is somewhere in this excellent library, but why are HBP weighted more than NIBB (.75 v .72)?

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