3 best stats to judge a hitter on

[Lemon Harang Pie]

Which batter led the league in Wins last year?

I don't know. I guess it depends on how you want to calculate it.

I'm not actually saying wins is the best stat to use. I'm saying that if your viewpoint is you play to win and you win by scoring runs then wouldn't it make more sense to use wins as the ultimate offensive stat instead of RBIs?

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

You win by outscoring the other team, which you can do by.... guess what? Scoring runs.

BRIXSHAT

OK. So isn't wins the best indicator of hitting, pitching, defense, base running, etc. then?

 

[mrwallace2ku]

Total Xtra base hits...nuttin like a 2bag or 3bagger to help turn a game around quickly, that's 1 of me stat requirements.

 

[navamind]

Total Xtra base hits...nuttin like a 2bag or 3bagger to help turn a game around quickly, that's 1 of me stat requirements.

or a home run. ISO's a good stat for measuring power. It's simply SLG-BA.

ISO | FanGraphs Sabermetrics Library

 

[Fountain City Blues]

I don't know. I guess it depends on how you want to calculate it.

I'm not actually saying wins is the best stat to use. I'm saying that if your viewpoint is you play to win and you win by scoring runs then wouldn't it make more sense to use wins as the ultimate offensive stat instead of RBIs?

I don't have that big of a problem with this actually as that basically is describing the intent of (but as a hitter in this case) WAR, and not too many around here are going to have a big problem with the usage of WAR.

 

[steveringo]

I don't know. I guess it depends on how you want to calculate it.

I'm not actually saying wins is the best stat to use. I'm saying that if your viewpoint is you play to win and you win by scoring runs then wouldn't it make more sense to use wins as the ultimate offensive stat instead of RBIs?

Well, to win is the goal of the team.

To get on base is the goal of a batter. If that attempt drives in a run, great! If that run wins a game - double great!


There are numerous stats already available. Before we create another, let's use what we have...

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

Need to explain -- IMO most important hitter stats are those that measure "getting on' and 'getting in'.

#1 Ninth Inning RBI (high leverage and high probability its a game changer)
#2 RBI (bringing in runs most important job of a hitter)
#3 OBP (getting on base second only in importance to getting 'batted in')

Congratulations on not understanding how offense works in baseball. How could the RBI possibly be more important than the run? You can score a run without an RBI but not vice versa.

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

Anyways, OPS+ is always the first stat I look at. After that, I look at the entire line.

 

[cezero]

somebody really said game winning rbi?

how adorable

 

[TDs3nOut]

Congratulations on not understanding how offense works in baseball. How could the RBI possibly be more important than the run? You can score a run without an RBI but not vice versa.

So you propose "runs" as the best stat on which to judge a hitter.

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

So you propose "runs" as the best stat on which to judge a hitter.

Of course not. Runs are a team-dependent stat. We're talking- at least I believe we are- about the best stats to judge an individual. But runs are obviously more important than RBI by any form of twisted logic.

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

So you propose "runs" as the best stat on which to judge a hitter.

Didn't he clearly say he looks at OPS+ first then the line?

I tend to think OPS+ is flawed but overall I think he's spot on.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

of traditional stats: i would say the 3 most important are

1. OPS
2. BA
3. HRs

once we get with advanced statistics, there are too many out there...