FanGraphs Now Includes Updated UZR Info
How cool is this? FanGraphs now carries UZR -- Ultimate Zone Rating -- and plans to update it weekly in 2009.
Randy Winn's +18.9 run per 150 games makes him the 3rd best fielder in baseball. UZR also loved Fred Lewis, giving him a +12.1 in 150 games. Rowand scored near the bottom of everyone in baseball with a -11.1 (ugh).
Scores are in runs.
about 1 year ago
xanthan
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It’s interesting to see these scores because our OF D was slighty above average last year and it looks like Winn and Lewis were helping to mask Rowand’s slipping defense.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 7, 2008 7:51 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
SSS Alert
But UZR hated Burriss at SS (-14.1 over 150 games) but loved him at 2B (+24.9 over 150 games). Of course, both samples are insanely small (around 300 innings played at each position) but if Burriss can play a +15 2B, he might be better than we think.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 7, 2008 8:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
And Renteria at +1.1 seems pretty okay.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
PABLO SANDOVAL AM STEAL DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS.
by jponry on Dec 7, 2008 8:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, it does. If you look from ‘04-’08 Renteria has been pretty steady.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 7, 2008 8:29 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
if he’s really an average-ish defensive shortstop, I think that makes the deal look quite a bit better.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
PABLO SANDOVAL AM STEAL DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS.
by jponry on Dec 7, 2008 8:36 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yup. The haters were just focused on last year, as if no other year mattered.
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 7, 2008 10:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, no kidding. How do the other top-notch systems rate him?
by Dan from NM on Dec 7, 2008 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
UZR wants to know why everyone thinks Sandoval at third will be a disaster?
(in before someone says SSS)
by oldjacket on Dec 7, 2008 8:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I know he’s not going to be #1 very best defensive thirdbaseman, but he didn’t embarrass himself last year.
by oldjacket on Dec 7, 2008 8:34 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Christmas came early. This is big.
Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.
by Anticon23 on Dec 7, 2008 10:13 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
How does the reliability of UZR stack up against some of the other systems out there, like the +/- ratings in the Fielding Bible?
by Dan from NM on Dec 7, 2008 1:09 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
UZR is the best defensive metric available to the public.
The methodology is very similar to Plus/Minus, but UZR makes more adjustments (park adjustments, batter handedness, etc.) and is expressed in runs, not plays. All those adjustments make it a more accurate system.
I’d be interested in seeing how they correlate though. Maybe when finals are over I’ll take a look at it.
Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.
by Anticon23 on Dec 7, 2008 1:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I'd just like one stat..
That combines every other stat and averages it. Can’t we just get that?
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by WalrusMan on Dec 7, 2008 1:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
There was a rumor about a system called UUZR, which would be an improvement over UZR. The first I heard of it was in this interview with MGL.
I don’t know how much better defensive metrics can really get until there’s a good amount of hit f/x available. There are some obvious things that need to be taken into consideration (first basemen handling throws, etc.) and it’d be nice to see some more catcher studies done, but I don’t know how long it’ll take before we get better stats.
Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.
by Anticon23 on Dec 7, 2008 2:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
NOOOOO
No more better!
Just, together.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Dec 7, 2008 6:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Shouldn't be hard
Just average UZR, PMR, and +/-. The rest are either junk, or just a lesser version of UZR (ZR, RZR).
..so allow me to present Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as two sweet, sweet bottles of warming hooch.
by Cookyman on Dec 8, 2008 8:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome
and of course a computer would report it here first
Adopted Giant: Aaron King
Wearing the crown by 2011. Or at least the LOOGY hat
by baetown415 on Dec 7, 2008 2:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
By the way, anyone wanna do a comparison between what UZR says compared to what +/- says, now that they’re using data from the same people (Baseball Info Solutions)?
Adopted Giant: Aaron King
Wearing the crown by 2011. Or at least the LOOGY hat
by baetown415 on Dec 7, 2008 2:32 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
They are probably pretty close. I was a little shocked to see UZR rate Fred Lewis so highly. I think he was a +7 in plus/minus making him about +5-6 runs over average. UZR has him at 12.1 runs.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 7, 2008 2:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe that’s just playing time? UZR adjusts to 150 games, but I think plus/minus gives an absolute number.
by Evan on Dec 7, 2008 6:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, you’re right. Fred’s UZR was +7 which is the same as the plus/minus score he got.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 8, 2008 5:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
UZR is also a little harder on Rowand than plus/mins. UZR has him at -11.1 runs and plus/minus has him at -7.2 runs. I’d hate to think he’s hitting some age 30 wall (no pun intended).
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 7, 2008 2:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
What about when you incorporate the value of their arms?
Adopted Giant: Aaron King
Wearing the crown by 2011. Or at least the LOOGY hat
by baetown415 on Dec 7, 2008 2:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
UZR doesn’t do that. I don’t think any system does, actually- but you could look at John Walsh’s OF arm numbers on THT and find a way to incorporate them.
Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.
by Anticon23 on Dec 7, 2008 3:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
oh yeah, that’s what I meant. I was going to go find the THT arm numbers but I also have a research paper to write. So why am I still here?
Adopted Giant: Aaron King
Wearing the crown by 2011. Or at least the LOOGY hat
by baetown415 on Dec 7, 2008 3:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Rowand’s career UZRs:
12.6
9.2
9.6
16.5
4.6
7.9
-11.1
Last year has to be partly fluke, right?
Please?
by Evan on Dec 7, 2008 6:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
It'd be nice
if Dewan’s +/- was up on the site as well to give a multi-faceted look or at least another defensive metric so we can get some comparison/context.
does this make fangraphs the best stats website?
I think StatCorner’s wOBA+ and tRA+ are still my favorite statistics, but StatCorner’s lack of defensive measurings of any kind gets annoying.
Mischievously implosive purple pitching staff.
by SloIsLonelyForTheOrange on Dec 7, 2008 3:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Also
UZR typically hated Ichiro but now shows him more favorably.
Adopted Giant: Aaron King
Wearing the crown by 2011. Or at least the LOOGY hat
by baetown415 on Dec 7, 2008 3:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
hmm
doesn’t seem to like torii hunter or curtis granderson much either. It’s a bit hard for me to believe that Adam Dunn ranks higher then Curtis Granderson, even if it’s not by much. Funny that Nate McClouth won the gold glove though, and he’s rated as one of the worst fielders in baseball (i actually agree with UZR on this one).
Also known to haunt as theghostoftravisdenker and theaccidentalghostofsergioromo.
by theghostofjasonellison on Dec 7, 2008 8:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Well, remember that Adam Dunn is in LF and Granderson in CF.
If Granderson were in left, his numbers would probably look a lot better (and if Dunn were in center… well… let’s not even think about that.)
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
PABLO SANDOVAL AM STEAL DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS.
by jponry on Dec 7, 2008 11:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
FWIW
If I’m reading this correctly, Velez is only -3.2 normalized over 150 games.
Based on a fairly similar sample size, UZR thinks Velez @ 2b is better than Bowker @ 1b.
by FairweatherFan on Dec 7, 2008 8:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, still, it’s a very small sample and I think Velez could be lower if he played 1,000+ innings at the position.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
by xanthan on Dec 7, 2008 9:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Velez did seem to improve at second in his second run. Bowker started off badly and got worse, so I don’t think UZR is wrong about that.
by oldjacket on Dec 8, 2008 8:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree
I think Velez made himself look really bad because, when he blew a play – he REALLY blew it.
But for the most part he made the plays he was supposed to make over there and even got to a few balls that durhammy probably wouldn’t have.
I’m most surprised about Rowand. He didn’t LOOK that bad out there. -11 runs is a LOT.
by FairweatherFan on Dec 8, 2008 5:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
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