Beyond the Box Score: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook

Spring Cleaning – WPA - Looking at Wins and RBIs

I have several article/projects I began previously, but never published/finished. This week I will publish several as I don't see myself going back to them to finish them to original level I wished. I was thinking of just deleting them, instead I am hoping someone may find the partial work useful.

A while back in a thread I mentioned that I didn't like WPA (win probality added) as a stat because all it measured was RBI's for hitters and wins for pitchers and I really preferred using WAR added. I looked at the data then and now finally publishing it. First I would like you to answer the poll question:

 

Of a pitchers' win total or a batters' RBI, which one correlates more to WPA (data of qualified Pitchers and Hitters from some point near the end of last season)?

Star-divide

Answer is RBI's with an r-squared of 0.37 compared Wins r-squared of 0.25. Neither correlated well, but RBIs seemed to be the king over wins

 

Wpavsrbis_medium

 

Wpavswins_medium

While I was at it, went ahead and mapped WPA vs RAR for this same pitchers and hitters

 

Hitterrarvswpa_medium

Pitchirarvswpa_medium

 

WPA given to pitchers almost directly collerates with WAR (r-squared of 0.96). Hitting WAR and WPA do somewhat correlate (r-squared = 0.65), but not as much as pitching for this sample size.

 

Poll
Of a pitchers' win total or a batters' RBI, which one correlates more to WPA (data of qualified Pitchers and Hitters from some point near the end of last season)?
Wins
31 votes
RBIs
75 votes

106 votes | Poll has closed

1 recs  |  Comment 3 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

I've been thinking for a little while that maybe a RPA stat would be useful.

Run Probability Added. On the one hand, it wouldn’t get around the problem of correlating with RBI for hitters. On the other hand, it would provide equal weight to late game, lopsided score situations as to early game, scoreless situations. The concept is basically the same: look at the probability that that a certain number of runs are scored in the inning before and after the plate appearance.

by RoxnSox09 on Mar 17, 2010 12:07 PM EDT reply actions  

FanGraphs has that

in their Win Probability section, under the name RE24 (Run Expectancy, based on the 24 base-out states). WPA/LI also does something similar in that it gives equal weight to each event whether it is in a close game or a blowout or whether it is early or late in the game, but it considers things like inning and score to determine which events (i.e. walk, home run, out, etc.) are worth more or less in that situation beyond just how they effect run expectancy, whereas RE24 does not.

by Kincaid on Mar 17, 2010 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions  

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

We use numbers and stuff.
Community Guidelines
Why be a member?
Start posting on Beyond the Box Score »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

Connect_with_facebook

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

Small
FIP is a Garbage Statistic
Jeter_400_101709_small
Scarier opponent come October?
Ghanafan03_741584gm-a_small
Los Angeles Angels trade for Dan Haren
Pedoria1_small
Pointing Fingers: Rollie Fingers and WAR
Small
Rajai Davis versus Gabe Gross
Small
Year of the Pitcher
Sealab_murphy_small
Prospect Surplus Value
T-rex_small
Saberizing a Mac, revisited
Small
How do you use splits?
Sealab_murphy_small
My Wang Problem

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

Sign up for the BtB Newsletter!

BtB on Facebook

BtB on Twitter

RSS Feed: @BtBScore

Sky: @BtB_Sky

Jeff: @jeffwzimmerman
Steve: @steve_sommer
Dan: @dturkenk
Harry: @harrypav
Jinaz: @jinazreds
Jack: @jh_moore
Tommy R: @trancel
Justin: @justinbopp
Satchel: @SatchelPrice
Adam: @baseballtwit
Larry: @wezen_ball
Peter: @CapitolAvenue
Paul: @TheDiaTribe
Daniel: @CamdenCrazies
Matt: @devil_fingers

SBNation.com Recent Stories

ST. LOUIS - MAY 18:  Ryan Ludwick #47 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a game-winning homerun against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium on May 18, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri.  The Cardinals beat the Nationals 3-2.  (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) +3 updates

Padres, Cardinals, Indians Complete Three-Way Trade Involving Ryan Ludwick, Jake Westbrook

SEATTLE - JULY 08:  Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees hits an RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on July 8 2010 in Seattle Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) +16 updates

Yankees' 9th-Inning Win Completely Overshadowed By A-Rod's Ongoing Homer Drought

Colorado Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez is congratulated by teammates after his walk-off home run against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning of a baseball game at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. on Saturday, July 31, 2010.  (AP Photo/ Matt McClain)

Carlos Gonzalez Completes Cycle With Walk-Off Homer; Rockies Beat Cubs, 6-5

More from SBNation.com >


Managers

Limes_125_small Sky Kalkman

Wbc_029_small Jeff Sullivan

Editors

Rawlings_baseball_bigger_small Dan Turkenkopf

Dayton_small Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal)

Aviles_small Justin Bopp

Paige_small Satchel Price

Authors

Jinaz-reds-avatar_small JinAZ

Face_small Harry Pavlidis

Newavatar_small Matt Klaassen

Wezenball-logo_small lar

Big_pun--300x300_small Tommy Rancel

Adam_small adarowski

Redcap_small SFiercex4

St_louis_cardinals_ce1141_003263_small stevesommer05

Small garik16

Julio_teheran_2_small PWHjort

Cclogo_small Daniel Moroz

Closeup4_small J-Doug

Nick_cage_small The DiaTriber