Pinto determined the number of runners that were on base when each batter came to the plate. He then calculated RBI Percentage, the proportion of runners on base that the batter drove home in his plate apperances. For example, Magglio Ordonez has had 162 runners on base in all his plate appearances this year. He has scored 36 of them (48 RBI - 12 homers). That gives him an RBI % of 22.22. That may not sound very high but it is 6th highest in the majors for players with 75 or more runners on base.
RBI % is not a perfect statistic. It could be improved if we considered base/out states. For example, it is easier to knock in a run with a runner on third base and nobody out than it is with a runner on first and two outs. It also penalizes players who are pitched around and receive a lot of walks but then so does RBI in its raw form. Despite these shortcomings, I do think it's a useful stat and I like its simplity.
Table 1 below shows the Major League leaders in RBI % for 260 players with 75 or more runners on base. You will see that Magglio Ordonez (6th), Placido Polanco (8th) and Carlos Guillen (18th) rank in the top 20. You may be surprised to see that old friend Carlos Pena (11th) is also in the top 20.
Table 1: Major League Leaders in RBI Percentage
| Player | Team | Runners | RBI | HR | RBI% |
| Martin | LAD | 135 | 34 | 3 | 22.96 |
| Ibanez | SEA | 119 | 28 | 1 | 22.69 |
| Hardy | MIL | 128 | 44 | 15 | 22.66 |
| Molina | SF | 115 | 31 | 5 | 22.61 |
| Hernandez | BAL | 89 | 22 | 2 | 22.47 |
| Ordonez | DET | 162 | 48 | 12 | 22.22 |
| Hunter | MIN | 140 | 42 | 11 | 22.14 |
| Polanco | DET | 118 | 27 | 1 | 22.03 |
| Lee | CHI | 121 | 30 | 4 | 21.49 |
| Johnson | ATL | 98 | 27 | 6 | 21.43 |
| Pena | TB | 84 | 28 | 10 | 21.43 |
| | CLE | 154 | 41 | 8 | 21.43 |
| Sosa | | 136 | 39 | 10 | 21.32 |
| Garciaparra | LAD | 139 | 30 | 1 | 20.86 |
| | BOS | 132 | 30 | 3 | 20.45 |
| Guerrero | LAA | 152 | 41 | 10 | 20.39 |
| | BOS | 148 | 39 | 9 | 20.27 |
| Guillen | DET | 148 | 36 | 6 | 20.27 |
| Dobbs | PHI | 84 | 22 | 5 | 20.24 |
| Lee | HOU | 173 | 45 | 10 | 20.23 |
Table 2 shows how the Tigers rank in RBI Percentage. Ranking in the top quarter of the league along with Ordonez, Polanco and Guillen are Pudge Rodriguez (34th), Curtis Granderson (48th) and Craig Monroe (69th). Lagging behind are Gary Sheffield, Sean Casey and Brandon Inge. It should be noted that Sheffield is probably one of the players who is penalized somewhat because he is pitched around with runners on base.
Table 2: RBI Percentages for Tigers Regulars
| Player | Rank | Runners | RBI | HR | RBI% |
| Ordonez | 6 | 162 | 48 | 12 | 22.02 |
| Polanco | 8 | 118 | 27 | 1 | 22.03 |
| Guillen | 18 | 148 | 36 | 6 | 20.27 |
| Rodriguez | 34 | 113 | 26 | 5 | 18.58 |
| Granderson | 48 | 109 | 27 | 8 | 17.43 |
| | 59 | 131 | 29 | 7 | 16.78 |
| | 181 | 144 | 29 | 12 | 11.81 |
| Casey | 228 | 102 | 11 | 0 | 10.78 |
| Inge | 251 | 126 | 19 | 8 | 8.73 |
Interesting stuff, Lee. Pinto say why he used PA's instead of AB's? It seems like an easy way to solve the Sheffield problem with a minimal cost. I'm guessing it aggregates out over several seasons anyhow, but in addition to base/outs, you could imagine controlling for base-runners. Guys like Pena and Guerrero really have a nice advantage in the RBI percentage department hitting on clubs with great team speed. Sean Casey isn't scoring from second on most triples:-)
ReplyDelete-TonyJM
I have the same question. Why calculate on PA's instead of AB's? One drawback is it would not reward the patience of batters who draw a bases loaded walk.
ReplyDeleteBut why try to tinker with the RBI stat when no amount of tinkering are going to make it a more meaningful stat than the Runs Created, OPS and Win Shares stats? They already disregard unequal opportunities.
I do have a problem with OPS as it counts singles twice. Once in the SLG stat and again in the OBP. Why are singles so highly valued? How about a Bases Gained per Plate Appearance stat? Singles and Walks counts for 1, double = 2, etc. Count 1 for every stolen base and subtract 1 for every base stealer caught or picked-off. Also count one for every extra based advanced by runners. IOW, A guy who scores from 2B on a single gets 1 more (or from 1B on a double).
The walks are a problem but I'm not sure what's the best way to solve it. Suppose, a runner is on first base. There are a few things that can happen without a run scoring. The batter could make an out, get a single or get a walk. All of these count as a failure with this statistic. So if you remove plate appearances which result in walks, then you are favoring players that get a lot of walks over players who get a lot of singles.
ReplyDeleteWhy use this stat when we already have OPS, RC, etc? This stat is not a replacement for those stats. The point of RBI% is that there is still a sense among mainstream baseball fans (and they may be right to an extent) that RBI measures something that OPS does not. RBI% is just a simple way of trying to measure this "clutch thing" which a lot of people talk about.
Why are singles counted twice in OPS? The point of the OPS formula is to combine the two main parts of run production: getting on base and moving runners along after they get on base. A single does both of those things. The bigger problem with OPS is that walks only shows up in the getting on base part of the formula. It should also show up in the moving runners along part although it should have less weight that singles. Stats like RC and VORP do a better job of weighting everything. However they also more complicated and can be alienating to those who aren't into stats.