Jon SooHoo’s photo highlights from Friday can be found at LA Photog Blog.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Drew Butera, C
Josh Beckett, P
By Jon Weisman
Scott Van Slyke, Justin Turner and Matt Kemp have been the Dodgers’ most productive offensive players in June, while Yasiel Puig, who has been bothered by a strained hip flexor, has been struggling.
Kemp, with a .411 on-base percentage and .578 slugging in June, leads Dodger regulars this month with 14 wRC and 177 wRC+, according to Fangraphs, in 73 plate appearances.
Weighted Runs Created (wRC) is an improved version of Bill James’ Runs Created (RC) statistic, which attempted to quantify a player’s total offensive value and measure it by runs. In Runs Created, instead of looking at a player’s line and listing out all the details (e.g. 23 2B, 15 HR, 55 BB, 110 K, 19 SB, 5 CS), the information is synthesized into one metric in order to say, “Player X was worth 24 runs to his team last year.” While the idea was sound, James’ formula has since been superseded by Tom Tango’s wRC , which is based off of wOBA.
Similar to OPS+, Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measures how a player’s wRC compares with league average. League average is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than league average. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average.
In part-time action, Van Slyke and Turner each have 10 wRC. Van Slyke’s wRC+ is 230, while Turner is at 190.
Hanley Ramirez (10 wRC, 132 wRC+) and Dee Gordon (8 wRC, 113 wRC+) are both above average in June, while Puig (7 wRC, 95 wRC+) is fighting to get there. Farther down the list in June are Andre Ethier (3 wRC, 54 wRC+) and Adrian Gonzalez (3 wRC, 44 wRC+).
Ethier, whose career wRC+ against right-handed pitching is 140, a total he has matched or exceeded every year since 2008, is at 102 against righties this year.
pigstown
Thank you for writing about advanced metrics. The farther removed we get from RBI’s, saves and pitcher wins the better.
oldbrooklynfan
The above article leaves me tung tied, even without talking. I’m still trying to understand OPS. I think OBP is a very good statistic, one that I use to wish they had back in my youth. It always seemed that the batter should get credit for walks. All the rest is just mumbo jumbo to me.
Jon Weisman
It’s the same idea as OPS – the calculation to get there is just more complicated.