Minor League Defensive Stats now Available

From Rally's TotalZone system. This is awesome.

9 months ago Anticon23 21 comments 1 recs |

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Good lord that’s nifty. MLS is really a great site.

Bay City Ball | Beyond the Box Score

by xanthan on Jan 28, 2009 8:21 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Another thought, I don’t know much about TZ — I haven’t browsed your article yet ~~- but for minor league data, since it’s compared to league average, would it be easier to post higher scores in the lower levels assuming that the talent is lower in A~~ ball than it is in AA-ball? I wonder how it translates across levels?

I ask because Mike McBryde — who has a reputation as a very good defensive OF — but up a +20 by R/150 in his season in SK, but since then, he’s played closer to average in CF. Is it talent level thing?

This is really cool, I’ll have to think about it for a bit.

Bay City Ball | Beyond the Box Score

by xanthan on Jan 28, 2009 8:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Now with better readability

Another thought, I don’t know much about TZ, I haven’t browsed your article yet – but for minor league data, since it’s compared to league average, would it be easier to post higher scores in the lower levels assuming that the talent is lower in A ball than it is in AA-ball? I wonder how it translates across levels?

Bay City Ball | Beyond the Box Score

by xanthan on Jan 28, 2009 8:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Keep in mind

That TotalZone suffers from the same syndrome all defensive metrics do- TINSTAAPDM (There Is No Such Thing As A Perfect Defensive Metric). Try to think of it more like an estimate.

It’ll be very interesting to see how it translates across levels, like you mentioned. It’d probably take a while to compile all that data.

Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.

by Anticon23 on Jan 28, 2009 8:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely, I was just thinking about how league averages would change among the various levels.

Still, this is really cool to see and I’m having a lot of fun browsing through Giants prospects.

Bay City Ball | Beyond the Box Score

by xanthan on Jan 28, 2009 8:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?pl=460322

Antoan Richardson is getting some really nice scores for his defense in CF.

Bay City Ball | Beyond the Box Score

by xanthan on Jan 28, 2009 8:48 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

nice

But where is the fake bunt category?

/ ducks

Here comes Captain Obvious wearing his Atomic Wedgie!

by daveinexile on Jan 28, 2009 9:03 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Awesome

I live on Minor League Splits anyway and this just makes it better.

"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.

by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jan 28, 2009 9:26 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

How are these guys rated defensively:

Villalona
EME
Culberson
Noonan
Williams

by wilriv21 on Jan 28, 2009 11:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Here you go, for 2008

Villalona: +3 R/150 (1B, 180 chances)
Noonan: -4 R/150 (2B, 382 chances)
EME: +2 R/15 (LF, 259 chances)
Culberson: -9 R/150 (SS, 286 chances)
Williams: N/A for catchers (16 errors and 19 PB last season, though I’m sure what those are telling you given the quality of command in the low minors)

VAE PVTO DEVS FIO

by Bhaakon on Jan 28, 2009 8:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I Can't Seem To Get This To Work - What Does It Say About Sandoval's Career Minor League Defense At 1B And 3B?

by giantsrainman on Jan 28, 2009 9:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

-3 at 3B (when he was 18, -8 per 150), -4 at 19. Each year he’s been at 1B he’s been a +1 defender.

Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.

by Anticon23 on Jan 28, 2009 9:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks!

by giantsrainman on Jan 28, 2009 10:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Does Anyone Know If Rally Used These Minor League Numbers In His -3 Projection For Pablo At 3B In 2009?

by giantsrainman on Jan 28, 2009 10:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you. So how is this to be interpreted? Villalon +3 is this good or bad because believe he had 14 errors. Noonan -4 thought he was good. EME +2 is this decent?

by wilriv21 on Jan 28, 2009 9:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+3 runs saved relative to league. So yes, this is good. Noonan was apparently below average and EME was slightly above average.

Proud adoptive parent of Tim Alderson.

by Anticon23 on Jan 28, 2009 9:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, Total Zone is rather bad for rating 1B's

The system only measures plays made on batted balls, not on receiving throws. If the 15 errors are any indication, Villalona’s a pretty horrendous receiver, and Total Zone is seriously overrating his defense.

VAE PVTO DEVS FIO

by Bhaakon on Jan 28, 2009 10:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Additionally

Here’s the article explaining Total Zone

If I’m reading it right, it rates infielder based on their efficiency at turning ground balls into outs. Since it doesn’t account for receiving at 1B, I think it may end up assigning all the “blame” for Villalona’s 15 errors (and Neal’s 8 errors, in only 38 games) to the infielders making the throw (it doesn’t give them demerits for the error, but simply records it as a failed fielding opportunity). That could mean the system is slightly underrating Culberson and Noonan, who had to put up with some pretty stinky work from Villalona and Neal at the cold corner. Still, Culberson had 35 errors himself in only 79 games, so it’s quite possible that he’s actually the one making Villalona and Neal look bad. I don’t see any way to separate out which party is guilty, beyond the (often unsatisfactory) judgment of the official scorer.

VAE PVTO DEVS FIO

by Bhaakon on Jan 28, 2009 10:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+3 is slightly above average and -4 is slightly below averages, but this stat isn’t that accurate (lack of PBP data in the minors), and the sample size is pretty small too. So don’t pay too much attention to the details – basically Villalona, Noonan, and EME appear to be around average, and Culberson looks below average.

..so allow me to present Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as two sweet, sweet bottles of warming hooch.

by Cookyman on Jan 29, 2009 9:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs