Bad Stats

[steveringo]

What are the most overrated, or misused statistics in baseball?

Is it possible to agree on a top five?

I'll start with a few (in no order):

BA - W/L - Sv - RBI - FPct

 

[MilkSpiller22]

this is not a thread for me because i disagree fully about what you are trying to start... i dont consider BA,W/L, Saves, or RBI as a bad stat... in fact i consider them good stats...

defensive stats i have no clue how to measure, so i can only take statistical word for it...

 

[Fountain City Blues]

I consider BA only mildly useful as it does compose a sizeable percentage of OBP (obviously OBP is superior). However, it is also highly unreliable generally do to babip among other things.

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

I think W/L and Sv are meaningless statistics and think OPS+ is misused horribly enough to make it almost meaningless.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

I have always preferred WRC+, I am not sure why people use OPS+. (Could someone explain why they prefer OPS+?)

 

[MilkSpiller22]

the problem i have with advanced statistics, is that someone else has valued what they think is the important things to factor in and how much they want to factor it... I am one who likes to create my own statistics(not saying they are better or worse than what is out there) based on how i value things, and to do this i use the simple counting stats...

 

[MilkSpiller22]

i dont like adjusted statistics because i dont like how they are adjusted, i dont like WAR because i dont like the replacement value...

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

the problem i have with advanced statistics, is that someone else has valued what they think is the important things to factor in and how much they want to factor it... I am one who likes to create my own statistics(not saying they are better or worse than what is out there) based on how i value things, and to do this i use the simple counting stats...

I think OPS+ is good when used properly but don't care for stats like WAR or wRC+.

Still, W/L and Sv are about as bad as statistics get.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

I think OPS+ is good when used properly but don't care for stats like WAR or wRC+.

Still, W/L and Sv are about as bad as statistics get.

not if used properly... i agree that there are too many factors in them that are not up to the pitcher... but if used properly they can be very telling statistics...

Especially saves- isnt save percentage actually a good stat...

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

not if used properly... i agree that there are too many factors in them that are not up to the pitcher... but if used properly they can be very telling statistics...

Especially saves- isnt save percentage actually a good stat...

No, I don't think there is any particularly good way to use those stats.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

not if used properly... i agree that there are too many factors in them that are not up to the pitcher... but if used properly they can be very telling statistics...

Especially saves- isnt save percentage actually a good stat...

Given the definition of "save," I could care less what any save anything is. If it was 1 run... then whatever I guess as that is a whole lot more useful in a high leverage situation than a 3 run buffer in many cases.

 

[Voltaire26]

After all is said and done ... this is the only stat.

Been a long time for my Tigers.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

After all is said and done ... this is the only stat.

Been a long time for my Tigers.

Well, that is presumably the goal (what else could there really be? Be entertaining?) but I would say since the playoffs are a crapshoot, all that is required is to make the playoffs, ideally as a division winner; and let the chips fall as they may and hopefully you are lucky enough to get the ring.

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

After all is said and done ... this is the only stat.

Been a long time for my Tigers.

Some category as W/L and Sv.

 

[Voltaire26]

WAR, am I worth more if my replacement is shitter? Other than that, I am not a big fan of saves.

 

[steveringo]

this is not a thread for me because i disagree fully about what you are trying to start... i dont consider BA,W/L, Saves, or RBI as a bad stat... in fact i consider them good stats...

defensive stats i have no clue how to measure, so i can only take statistical word for it...

Perhaps "Bad" was not the proper thread title. What do you think are overused or overrated?

 

[MilkSpiller22]

I will agree that wins is a little incomplete... there is 2 other stats in the Wins category that would help the win/loss stat

1. Win/loss record in close games(and percentage)
2. win/loss record of team in games pitched(and percentage)

With those 2 extra win stats you can make a better understanding to the value of the pitchers wins...

As for saves i think save percentage is a very important stat... isnt that the whole purpose of a closer??

 

[MilkSpiller22]

Perhaps "Bad" was not the proper thread title. What do you think are overused or overrated?

i am not a fan of adjusted stats or replacement stats... i just dont agree with the adjustments or replacement values...

 

[element1286]

I think OPS+ is good when used properly but don't care for stats like WAR or wRC+.

Still, W/L and Sv are about as bad as statistics get.

Can you explain this reasoning, I understand having reservations with WAR because of defense and replacement value, but I can't think of any reason OPS+ is superior to wRC+.

 

[gunnarthor]

I don't think there's nec anything wrong with most stats, just so long as you know what they mean - or don't mean. And some stats are better at predicting things while other stats are better at describing what had happened. I generally think fans overrate rate-stats while ignoring IP or PA and defensive stats are nearly useless. I think they can tell us correctly who is good/bad but putting an accurate value on that person is nearly impossible.