The Runmakers: A New Way to Rate Baseball Players

by Taylor, Frederick E.

• ISBN13: 9781421400105
• ISBN10: 1421400103
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-03-22
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

Statistics are the lifeblood of baseball. Managers pore over batting averages to determine game day lineups and batting orders; high runs batted in and low earned run averages earn praise from the press, higher salaries from the front office, and love from fans; and fantasy baseball players' fates rise and fall with each statistical change. The rise of the RC/27 and other more complex, formula-driven stats has made numbers even more important to understanding and appreciating the game. For all these baseball buffs and more, Frederick E. Taylor has a new measure of hitting prowess that just might be a game changer.Taylor's potential runs per game (PRG) measure accounts for batters getting on base, advancing runners, and driving in runs, and separates leadoff and second batters from those in the middle of the order. He introduces the measure, explains how it works, and applies it to players past and present. Taylor breaks the history of major league baseball into eight eras based on differences in runs scored per game. He systematically -- player-by-player and position-by-position -- compares the results of the PRG measure to those drawn from other statistics, such as on-base percentage and slugging average. Taylor shows that PRG is more accurate and that career clutch hitting is a myth.Sabermetricians, baseball fans of all stripes, and anyone who earns a living from the sport will find a wealth of information and a whole new stat to obsess over in The Runmakers. Measuring baseball will never be the same.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
List of Abbreviations	p. xi
Pregame Analysis	p. 1
Every Era Has Its Greats
The Era of Constant Change, 1876-1892: The Age of Dan Brouthers	p. 23
The Live Ball Interval, 1893-1900: The Age of Ed Delahanty	p. 38
The Dead Ball Era, 1901-1920: The Age of Ty Cobb	p. 49
The Live Ball Era, 1921-1941: The Age of Babe Ruth	p. 61
The Live Ball Continued Era, 1942-1962: The Age of Ted Williams	p. 77
The Dead Ball Interval, 1963-1976: The Age of Hank Aaron	p. 93
The Live Ball Revived Era, 1977-1992: The Age of Mike Schmidt	p. 106
The Live Ball Enhanced Era, 1993-2009 The Age of Uncertainty	p. 119
The Ultimate Lineup Card
Fielding a Team of Great Hitters	p. 141
The Table Setters	p. 182
The Table Clearers	p. 202
Hot Stove League Favorites Revisited
Left on Base	p. 213
Whatever Happened to the Triple Crown?	p. 220
Postgame Report	p. 228
Appendix: Using the BPPA Formula in Fantasy Baseball Leagues	p. 233
Notes	p. 235
Index	p. 239
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