The Baseball Player Value Analysis System

Using a database of play-by-play accounts of (almost -- a few 1972-1973 are missing) every game in the major leagues 1972-2002, I constructed tables which show a team's chance of winning a game, based on the score, the inning, location of baserunners, and number of outs. I have constructed such tables, one per year, for each year since 1972. In 1996 for example, if the home team is one run behind in the bottom of the seventh with 1 out and a runner on second, they have a .45253 chance of winning.

These tables are useful in many ways. One use is to determine the value of a player's performance. In the example of the seventh inning situation above, if the runner steals third, the home team's chance of winning improves from .45253 to .49368. This improvement of .04115 is a contribution of the baserunner. If instead the batter had singled to score the runner from second, the home team's chance of winning improves to .58374, and the improvement of .13121 (= .58374-.45253) is credited to the batter. On the other hand, the pitcher's contribution to his team for this event is the opposite, namely -.13121. Had the batter instead made an out without advancing the runner, he would get a -.07986 for lowering his team's chance of a win to .37267, and the pitcher is credited with +.07986.

By adding the value of these contributions of each event for each player over the course of a season, we get an exact measure of the value of that player's contributions as compared to average performances, which I call the player's win value. A value of +x can be interpreted as turning x losses into wins, or as contributing 2x to his team's number of games over .500.

We have no good way of assessing the value of fielding, nor of baserunners distracting pitchers, nor of some baserunning plays. But for hitting (including walking and sacrificing), base stealing, pitching, the system outlined above gives a perfect measure of the value of each player as compared to what an average player would do.

• A sample cross section of the win table
• The most valuable players (offense) 1972-2002.
• The most valuable pitchers 1972-2002.
• Top 5 players and pitchers each year 1972-2002
• Average offensive value by defensive position
• Average offensive value by batting order position
• [1 megabyte file: download not particularly ecouraged]: List of values of all players 1972-2002.

Barry Bonds' rank in offensive contribution in the last few years has been:

• 1992: Second
• 1993: First
• 1994: Fourth
• 1995: Second
• 1996: First
• 1997: Fourth
• 1998: Second
• 1999: Forty-second (injured)
• 2000: Fifth
• 2001: First
• 2002: First

Last updated: September 2003
Copyright © 2003 Ed Oswalt
Email: Back to Ed's Home Page