Leaderboards of Pleasure – 7/18/11
When you talk about great discoveries, you talk some of the time about the discovery of King Tut’s tomb by Howard Carter and George Herbert in 1922. Other of the time, you maybe talk about the first polio vaccine, first developed by Jonas Salk in 1952. Most of the time, though, when you talk about great discoveries, what you talk about is the Leaderboards of Pleasure at FanGraphs.
What are the Leaderboards of Pleasure? They’re the thing that Winston Churchill has described as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside the internet.” They’re also the thing that the present author has himself described as “an attempt to isolate those traits which most appeal to the learned baseballing fan and to identify which players, teams, etc possess them most bountifully.”
In this edition, reader, prepare to learn that:
• Something is brewing in Milwaukee.*
• The Twins maybe aren’t the most depressing team in all of baseball.
• Anaheim is home to the two most underrated players in the majors, according to science!
• Cory Luebke is good in a bunch of different ways.
• Endy Chavez won’t stop to the tick-tock — or any other kind of signal, either.
*Note: wocka, wocka.
1. Team NERD Leaderboard
2. Underrated Player Leaderboard
3. Pitcher NERD Leaderboard
4. Player NERD Leaderboard
Team NERD Leaderboard
Like the other NERD scores, this one represents an attempt to anticipate the “watchability” of each team. The first iteration appears in a heartfelt love letter to America, which anyone is free to read here. A shinier, better version — one adjusting, for example, for a team’s playoff chances — was introduced last week to an adoring public.
| Teams | NERD | Age | BAT | HR/FB | Spd | BULL | UZR | Pay | Luck | POFF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewers | 10 | 0.00 | 0.72 | 1.14 | 0.60 | 1.24 | -0.13 | 0.18 | 0.70 | 25% |
| Indians | 9 | 1.84 | 0.35 | 0.65 | -0.03 | -0.23 | 0.41 | 1.08 | 0.00 | 41% |
| Diamondbacks | 9 | 0.94 | -0.05 | 0.74 | 0.76 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.97 | 0.00 | 39% |
| Reds | 8 | 0.76 | 0.32 | 0.68 | -0.66 | -0.39 | 1.57 | 0.41 | 0.00 | 21% |
| Angels | 8 | 0.13 | -0.08 | -0.20 | 0.13 | -0.52 | -0.26 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 29% |
| Rangers | 7 | 0.00 | 1.56 | 1.72 | 1.08 | -0.61 | 2.73 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 74% |
| Cardinals | 7 | 0.00 | 1.28 | 1.10 | -1.44 | -0.42 | -0.09 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 33% |
| Pirates | 7 | 0.22 | -0.75 | -0.69 | 0.13 | 0.19 | -0.63 | 1.15 | 0.00 | 32% |
| Royals | 6 | 2.02 | 0.08 | -0.39 | 1.23 | -0.13 | 0.96 | 1.40 | 0.47 | 0% |
| Blue Jays | 6 | 0.40 | 0.85 | 0.29 | 1.08 | 0.44 | 1.48 | 0.75 | 0.00 | 3% |
| Tigers | 6 | 0.40 | 0.71 | 0.00 | -0.81 | -1.54 | -1.90 | 0.00 | 0.91 | 38% |
| Rays | 6 | 0.40 | 0.17 | 0.02 | 0.92 | -1.70 | 0.57 | 1.25 | 0.00 | 11% |
| Rockies | 5 | 0.76 | -0.39 | 0.44 | 0.29 | 1.08 | -0.31 | 0.12 | 0.15 | 8% |
| Mets | 5 | 0.00 | 0.81 | -1.34 | 1.71 | -0.07 | 0.41 | 0.00 | 1.16 | 7% |
| Giants | 5 | 0.00 | -1.23 | -1.24 | -0.81 | 1.85 | 0.70 | 0.00 | 0.88 | 59% |
| Yankees | 5 | 0.00 | 1.70 | 1.48 | 1.23 | 0.12 | -0.54 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 89% |
| Red Sox | 5 | 0.00 | 2.28 | 1.52 | 0.60 | 0.60 | -1.18 | 0.00 | 0.34 | 92% |
| Braves | 5 | 0.00 | -0.58 | 1.25 | -2.07 | 2.36 | 0.46 | 0.15 | 0.00 | 74% |
| White Sox | 5 | 0.00 | -0.58 | -0.50 | -1.92 | 1.18 | -0.09 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 16% |
| Nationals | 4 | 0.40 | -0.83 | 0.59 | 0.60 | -0.58 | 0.52 | 0.72 | 0.00 | 4% |
| Astros | 4 | 0.85 | -0.31 | -1.65 | 0.60 | 0.57 | 0.00 | 0.55 | 1.21 | 0% |
| Marlins | 3 | 0.40 | -0.47 | -0.01 | -0.81 | 0.09 | -0.04 | 0.89 | 0.68 | 1% |
| Padres | 3 | 0.00 | -1.32 | -1.14 | 0.92 | 0.47 | -0.04 | 1.16 | 0.57 | 1% |
| Orioles | 3 | 0.04 | 0.16 | 0.56 | -1.76 | 0.12 | -0.42 | 0.19 | 1.79 | 0% |
| Phillies | 2 | 0.00 | -0.28 | -0.15 | 0.45 | -0.87 | 0.31 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95% |
| Dodgers | 2 | 0.00 | -0.57 | -0.60 | -0.18 | -0.20 | -0.92 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 1% |
| Mariners | 2 | 0.94 | -2.21 | -1.36 | -0.34 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.16 | 0.09 | 1% |
| Athletics | 1 | 0.85 | -1.39 | -1.78 | -0.18 | 0.15 | -1.48 | 0.65 | 0.00 | 1% |
| Twins | 1 | 0.00 | -1.02 | -1.20 | -0.50 | -2.43 | -0.28 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5% |
| Cubs | 0 | 0.00 | -0.58 | 0.05 | -0.81 | -1.12 | -2.22 | 0.00 | 0.36 | 0% |
Underrated Player Leaderboard
To determine the most underrated player, we look at each player’s WAR relative to a very fake version of WAR (called FANT, in this case) constructed only by the five most common fantasy categories. (Read more here.)
| Name | Diff | WAR | FANT | Avg | HR | R | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howie Kendrick | 2.2 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 0.79 | -0.33 | -0.07 | -0.82 | 0.21 |
| Peter Bourjos | 1.9 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.08 | -1.11 | -0.95 | -1.73 | 0.47 |
| Ben Zobrist | 1.9 | 4.7 | 2.8 | -0.11 | 0.15 | 1.60 | 0.43 | 0.34 |
| Dustin Pedroia | 1.8 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 0.76 | 0.46 | 1.60 | 0.36 | 1.27 |
| Shane Victorino | 1.7 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.08 | -0.17 | 0.81 | -0.54 | 0.74 |
| Jose Bautista | 1.5 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 2.13 | 3.30 | 2.66 | 1.62 | -0.32 |
| Matt Wieters | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.1 | -0.11 | -0.01 | -0.69 | -0.40 | -0.85 |
| Ian Kinsler | 1.4 | 4.6 | 3.2 | -0.56 | 0.78 | 2.04 | -0.40 | 1.53 |
| Brett Gardner | 1.4 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 0.53 | -0.96 | 0.37 | -1.66 | 2.46 |
| Brendan Ryan | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.1 | -0.65 | -1.59 | -1.21 | -1.10 | -0.19 |
| Kurt Suzuki | 1.3 | 1.2 | -0.1 | -1.32 | -0.48 | -1.57 | -1.31 | -0.72 |
| Cameron Maybin | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.2 | -0.30 | -0.80 | -0.25 | -1.45 | 0.87 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 1.3 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 0.82 | 0.46 | 0.81 | 0.71 | -0.45 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 1.3 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.12 | -0.17 | 0.72 | -0.12 | -0.59 |
| Yunel Escobar | 1.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.95 | -0.17 | 0.55 | -0.47 | -0.59 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | 1.3 | 4.0 | 2.7 | -0.01 | 1.09 | 0.02 | 1.27 | -0.19 |
| Jose Reyes | 1.2 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 2.71 | -1.11 | 1.87 | -0.68 | 2.99 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 1.2 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 0.40 | 0.62 | 0.90 | 0.99 | 1.00 |
| Jamey Carroll | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.63 | -1.59 | -0.69 | -2.36 | -0.32 |
| John Buck | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.3 | -1.36 | -0.01 | -1.30 | -0.61 | -0.98 |
Pitcher NERD Leaderboard
The idea with Pitcher NERD — as with the other NERDs — is to express with one number the likelihood that the learned fan might have interest in a certain player. (To read more about Pitcher NERD, click here.)
| Name | NERD | xFIP | SwStrk | Strk | Velo | Luck | Age | KN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke | 10 | 2.82 | 1.67 | 0.68 | 0.76 | 2.00 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 10 | 1.94 | 1.88 | 0.45 | 1.06 | 0.18 | 1.18 | 0.00 |
| Roy Halladay | 10 | 2.33 | 1.51 | 2.24 | 0.57 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| David Price | 10 | 1.56 | 0.50 | 0.59 | 1.63 | 0.78 | 0.69 | 0.00 |
| Michael Pineda | 10 | 0.70 | 2.46 | 1.74 | 1.71 | 0.00 | 1.43 | 0.00 |
| Felipe Paulino | 10 | 1.27 | 1.51 | 0.19 | 1.71 | 1.25 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Madison Bumgarner | 10 | 1.31 | 0.39 | 1.39 | 0.64 | 0.63 | 1.67 | 0.00 |
| Matt Garza | 10 | 1.54 | 1.56 | 0.33 | 1.14 | 1.01 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Cory Luebke | 10 | 1.85 | 2.30 | 1.28 | 0.42 | 0.00 | 0.44 | 0.00 |
| Justin Verlander | 10 | 1.54 | 1.56 | 1.23 | 1.74 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Beachy | 10 | 1.56 | 2.04 | 0.75 | 0.49 | 0.26 | 0.93 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Morrow | 10 | 1.12 | 1.82 | 0.08 | 1.21 | 1.13 | 0.44 | 0.00 |
| Cliff Lee | 9 | 1.85 | 0.87 | 2.25 | 0.38 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cole Hamels | 9 | 1.71 | 1.77 | 1.15 | 0.57 | 0.00 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Felix Hernandez | 9 | 1.44 | 0.45 | 0.24 | 1.10 | 0.23 | 0.69 | 0.00 |
| CC Sabathia | 9 | 1.33 | 1.51 | 1.37 | 1.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| James Shields | 9 | 1.61 | 2.04 | 1.11 | 0.27 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Anibal Sanchez | 9 | 1.28 | 1.98 | 0.78 | 0.49 | 0.41 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| R.A. Dickey | 8 | 0.13 | -0.03 | 1.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.86 |
| Rubby De La Rosa | 8 | 0.79 | 0.39 | -1.71 | 2.05 | 0.29 | 1.43 | 0.00 |
Player NERD Leaderboard
Very similar to Pitcher NERD, except for with position players. (Read more here.)
| Name | NERD | Age | WAR | xBABIP | HR/FB | Spd | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Bautista | 10 | 0.00 | 3.39 | -0.32 | 3.29 | -0.16 | 0.64 |
| Endy Chavez | 10 | 0.00 | 2.54 | -0.39 | 0.32 | 2.08 | 1.65 |
| Jose Reyes | 10 | 0.30 | 2.40 | 0.00 | -1.06 | 2.34 | 1.87 |
| Matt Kemp | 10 | 0.78 | 1.98 | -0.08 | 2.44 | 1.22 | -0.53 |
| Shane Victorino | 10 | 0.00 | 2.47 | -0.53 | 0.07 | 2.19 | 1.29 |
| Ryan Braun | 10 | 0.54 | 1.61 | -0.02 | 1.37 | 1.32 | 0.57 |
| Ian Kinsler | 10 | 0.06 | 1.72 | 0.35 | 0.28 | 1.47 | 1.30 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 10 | 1.26 | 1.82 | 0.09 | 0.65 | 1.06 | 0.24 |
| Elvis Andrus | 10 | 1.74 | 1.04 | 0.42 | -0.62 | 1.47 | 1.05 |
| Curtis Granderson | 10 | 0.00 | 1.77 | 0.09 | 2.11 | 2.03 | -0.93 |
| Albert Pujols | 10 | 0.00 | 0.94 | 0.52 | 1.67 | 0.15 | 1.69 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | 9 | 0.54 | 1.73 | -0.06 | 0.79 | 1.27 | 0.65 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | 9 | 0.78 | 1.57 | 0.18 | 0.84 | 0.09 | 1.37 |
| Dustin Pedroia | 9 | 0.54 | 2.11 | -0.07 | 0.56 | 0.55 | 1.05 |
| Robinson Cano | 9 | 0.30 | 0.92 | 0.07 | 1.19 | 1.22 | 0.85 |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 9 | 1.02 | 1.09 | -0.01 | 1.02 | 1.17 | 0.22 |
| Lance Berkman | 9 | 0.00 | 1.16 | 0.61 | 3.44 | -1.08 | 0.35 |
| Danny Espinosa | 9 | 1.26 | 1.37 | -0.25 | 1.40 | 1.47 | -0.83 |
| Chase Utley | 9 | 0.00 | 1.54 | -0.21 | -0.41 | 1.83 | 1.47 |
| Brett Gardner | 9 | 0.54 | 1.76 | -0.31 | -0.18 | 2.14 | 0.17 |
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
i’m surprised the rockies aren’t last; they’re awful to watch, and have been ever since the beginning of may
Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the starting lineups of the many lesser teams in the league…