Leaderboards of Pleasure – 9/19/11
Red is the color both of passion and arrows.
Epicurus didn’t start an entire ethical philosophy based on maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain not to have somebody, at some point in the future, develop a similar thing specifically for watching baseball. Accordingly, the aim of this edition of the Leaderboards of Pleasure is to aid the reader in liberating himself from the shackles of anxiety.
In so doing, the reader will learn that:
• Cleveland’s second baseman Jason Kipnis, besides mildly resembling teammate Travis Hafner, has been good at “hitting” so far in his brief major-league career, slashing .287/.345/.554 (.348 BABIP) with 151 RC+ in his first 110 plate appearances.
• Toronto’s Brett Lawrie continues to out-Jose Bautista the actual Jose Bautista.
• Milwaukee right-hander Zack Greinke, despite his absence from all Cy Young consideration, leads all qualified starters in strikeout rate (28.8%), strikeout/walk differential (22.9%), xFIP (2.46), and SIERA (2.40) — which is to say, he’s likely the best starter on a per-inning basis.
1. Team NERD Leaderboard
2. Underrated Player Leaderboard
3. Player NERD Leaderboard
4. Pitcher NERD Leaderboard
Team NERD Leaderboard
Like the NERD scores you’ll find below, 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.
Please note that the “POFF” numbers (playoff-odds adjustments) are not included in the Team NERD scores you see below, but are instead the bonuses/penalties applied to the Game Scores for each respective team — a thing about which you can learn more by reading here.
| Teams | NERD | Age | BAT | HR/FB | Spd | BULL | UZR | Pay | Luck | POFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royals | 10 | 2.62 | 0.40 | -0.37 | 1.20 | -0.17 | 0.10 | 1.40 | 1.81 | 0 |
| Yankees | 10 | 0.00 | 1.95 | 1.64 | 1.56 | 0.84 | 0.82 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 9 | 0.00 | 2.14 | 1.44 | 0.30 | 0.28 | 1.66 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 1 |
| Rangers | 9 | 0.00 | 1.83 | 1.58 | 1.02 | 0.11 | 0.80 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Diamondbacks | 9 | 0.45 | -0.21 | 0.63 | 0.84 | -0.06 | 2.19 | 0.97 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Brewers | 8 | 0.00 | 0.66 | 0.99 | -0.06 | 1.50 | 0.45 | 0.18 | 0.91 | 0 |
| Marlins | 8 | 1.17 | -0.52 | 0.04 | -0.60 | 0.49 | -0.34 | 0.89 | 2.00 | 0 |
| Rays | 7 | 0.45 | 0.32 | 0.10 | 1.20 | -1.52 | 1.47 | 1.25 | 0.00 | 4 |
| Rockies | 6 | 0.18 | -0.20 | 0.42 | 0.66 | 1.05 | -0.16 | 0.12 | 0.63 | 0 |
| Blue Jays | 6 | 0.36 | 0.52 | 0.38 | 1.20 | -0.17 | -0.71 | 0.75 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Padres | 5 | 0.63 | -0.83 | -1.19 | 1.56 | -0.38 | 0.54 | 1.16 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Angels | 5 | 0.00 | -0.02 | 0.12 | 0.48 | -0.38 | 1.22 | 0.00 | 0.58 | 2 |
| Braves | 5 | 0.00 | -0.52 | 1.11 | -1.50 | 2.19 | -0.87 | 0.15 | 1.10 | 1 |
| Nationals | 5 | 0.27 | -0.79 | 0.72 | -0.60 | -0.17 | -0.39 | 0.72 | 1.56 | 0 |
| Reds | 5 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.81 | -0.78 | -0.69 | 1.48 | 0.41 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Dodgers | 4 | 0.00 | -0.39 | -0.88 | 0.30 | 0.66 | 0.18 | 0.00 | 1.21 | 0 |
| Indians | 4 | 0.81 | -0.15 | 0.50 | -0.24 | -0.79 | -1.10 | 1.08 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Astros | 4 | 0.45 | -0.67 | -1.80 | 0.30 | 0.25 | -0.63 | 0.55 | 2.00 | 0 |
| Pirates | 4 | 1.44 | -1.33 | -0.91 | -0.24 | -0.41 | -0.28 | 1.15 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Mets | 4 | 0.63 | 0.57 | -1.63 | 1.02 | -0.24 | -2.12 | 0.00 | 1.63 | 0 |
| Cubs | 4 | 0.00 | -0.61 | -0.01 | -0.06 | -0.27 | -0.47 | 0.00 | 1.89 | 0 |
| Giants | 3 | 0.00 | -1.62 | -1.04 | -1.32 | 1.57 | 0.54 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 1 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0.00 | 1.21 | 1.25 | -1.86 | 0.14 | -1.11 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2 |
| Phillies | 3 | 0.00 | -0.06 | 0.12 | 0.66 | -0.69 | -0.41 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Tigers | 2 | 0.08 | 1.14 | -0.01 | -0.96 | -1.21 | -0.22 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0 |
| White Sox | 2 | 0.00 | -0.67 | -0.64 | -1.86 | 1.85 | -0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Orioles | 2 | 0.36 | -0.11 | 0.49 | -1.32 | -0.13 | -1.67 | 0.19 | 0.18 | 0 |
| Athletics | 1 | 0.00 | -0.53 | -1.42 | 0.12 | -0.34 | -1.08 | 0.65 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Mariners | 0 | 0.00 | -1.74 | -1.17 | -0.24 | -0.69 | -0.11 | 0.16 | 0.88 | 0 |
| Twins | 0 | 1.08 | -1.49 | -1.28 | -0.78 | -2.60 | 0.34 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 |
Underrated Player Leaderboard
To determine the most underrated player, we look at each qualified 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placido Polanco | 2.4 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.33 | -1.35 | -1.53 | -1.03 | -0.72 |
| Alex Avila | 2.4 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 0.92 | 0.18 | -0.52 | 0.40 | -0.72 |
| Brendan Ryan | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.1 | -0.87 | -1.56 | -1.17 | -1.42 | 0.15 |
| Yunel Escobar | 2.2 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 0.66 | -0.69 | 0.37 | -0.99 | -0.72 |
| Howie Kendrick | 2.2 | 5.9 | 3.7 | 0.70 | 0.07 | 0.67 | -0.37 | 0.15 |
| Kurt Suzuki | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.2 | -1.13 | -0.37 | -1.06 | -1.27 | -0.81 |
| Peter Bourjos | 2.2 | 4.1 | 1.9 | -0.21 | -0.69 | -0.22 | -1.46 | 0.84 |
| John Buck | 2.1 | 2.2 | 0.1 | -1.38 | -0.15 | -1.77 | -0.56 | -0.98 |
| Jamey Carroll | 2.1 | 1.8 | -0.3 | 0.52 | -1.89 | -1.35 | -2.61 | -0.12 |
| Shane Victorino | 2.0 | 6.2 | 4.2 | 0.62 | -0.04 | 1.20 | -0.41 | 0.67 |
| Alberto Callaspo | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.41 | -1.35 | -1.29 | -1.23 | -0.38 |
| Omar Infante | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.15 | -1.35 | -1.17 | -1.18 | -0.64 |
| Evan Longoria | 1.8 | 5.1 | 3.3 | -1.02 | 1.16 | 0.01 | 1.11 | -0.72 |
| Matt Wieters | 1.7 | 3.8 | 2.1 | -0.40 | 0.29 | -0.28 | -0.27 | -0.90 |
| Brett Gardner | 1.7 | 4.9 | 3.2 | -0.47 | -1.13 | 0.55 | -1.56 | 2.93 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 1.7 | 4.4 | 2.7 | -0.03 | -0.37 | 0.43 | -0.13 | -0.38 |
| Rickie Weeks | 1.7 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.07 | -1.13 | -0.20 |
| Jhonny Peralta | 1.6 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 1.10 | 0.18 | -0.40 | 0.59 | -0.98 |
| Yadier Molina | 1.6 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 0.84 | -0.47 | -1.29 | -0.37 | -0.64 |
| Dustin Pedroia | 1.5 | 7.3 | 5.8 | 0.92 | 0.29 | 1.50 | 0.68 | 1.27 |
Player NERD Leaderboard
Very similar to Pitcher NERD (below), except for position players. This version of NERD considers all batters with at least 100 plate apperances. (Read more here.)
| Name | NERD | Age | WAR | xBABIP | HR/FB | Spd | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Lawrie | 10 | 1.84 | 2.98 | -0.33 | 1.53 | 1.85 | -0.06 |
| Ryan Braun | 10 | 0.43 | 2.13 | -0.17 | 1.61 | 1.39 | 0.60 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | 10 | 0.43 | 2.26 | -0.11 | 1.12 | 1.23 | 0.87 |
| Jason Kipnis | 10 | 1.13 | 1.88 | -0.20 | 2.54 | 1.54 | -1.26 |
| Alejandro De Aza | 10 | 0.43 | 3.04 | -0.62 | 0.90 | 2.01 | -0.22 |
| Desmond Jennings | 10 | 1.13 | 1.34 | -0.36 | 1.41 | 2.06 | -0.26 |
| Ian Kinsler | 10 | 0.00 | 1.56 | 0.45 | 0.47 | 1.44 | 1.40 |
| Jose Constanza | 10 | 0.43 | 1.14 | 0.60 | 0.47 | 1.59 | 1.07 |
| Mike Trout | 10 | 2.31 | 0.68 | 0.89 | 1.05 | 0.77 | -0.47 |
| Shane Victorino | 10 | 0.00 | 2.00 | -0.29 | 0.13 | 1.95 | 1.28 |
| Curtis Granderson | 10 | 0.00 | 1.83 | 0.03 | 2.14 | 1.95 | -0.95 |
| Matt Kemp | 9 | 0.66 | 2.08 | -0.29 | 1.95 | 1.23 | -0.70 |
| Jose Reyes | 9 | 0.19 | 1.56 | 0.00 | -1.04 | 2.26 | 1.92 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 9 | 0.90 | 1.10 | -0.29 | 2.00 | 1.18 | -0.11 |
| Justin Upton | 9 | 1.37 | 1.77 | -0.47 | 1.03 | 1.03 | 0.04 |
| Jose Bautista | 9 | 0.00 | 2.49 | -0.31 | 2.41 | -0.16 | 0.32 |
| Albert Pujols | 9 | 0.00 | 1.31 | 0.20 | 1.75 | -0.21 | 1.64 |
| Howie Kendrick | 9 | 0.43 | 1.84 | 0.13 | 1.56 | 0.98 | -0.24 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | 9 | 0.66 | 1.90 | -0.17 | 1.36 | -0.05 | 0.95 |
| Robinson Cano | 9 | 0.19 | 1.30 | 0.04 | 1.34 | 0.77 | 0.75 |
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. This version of NERD considers all pitchers with at least 20 innings as a starter. (To read more about Pitcher NERD, click here.)
| Name | NERD | xFIP | SwStrk | Strk | Velo | Luck | Age | KN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke | 10 | 2.70 | 1.67 | 0.23 | 0.75 | 1.29 | 0.14 | 0.00 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 10 | 2.17 | 1.84 | 0.85 | 1.10 | 0.00 | 1.14 | 0.00 |
| Roy Halladay | 10 | 2.44 | 1.61 | 2.22 | 0.56 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Michael Pineda | 10 | 1.02 | 2.28 | 1.41 | 1.63 | 0.25 | 1.39 | 0.00 |
| CC Sabathia | 10 | 1.84 | 1.89 | 1.36 | 1.25 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cliff Lee | 10 | 2.27 | 0.88 | 2.45 | 0.37 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Madison Bumgarner | 10 | 1.64 | 0.66 | 1.52 | 0.45 | 0.11 | 1.64 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Morrow | 10 | 0.98 | 1.95 | 0.50 | 1.25 | 1.49 | 0.39 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Beachy | 10 | 1.52 | 2.12 | 0.52 | 0.56 | 0.41 | 0.89 | 0.00 |
| Justin Verlander | 10 | 1.65 | 1.28 | 1.06 | 1.71 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cory Luebke | 10 | 1.84 | 1.72 | 1.12 | 0.37 | 0.29 | 0.39 | 0.00 |
| Cole Hamels | 9 | 1.84 | 1.84 | 1.05 | 0.45 | 0.00 | 0.14 | 0.00 |
| Matt Garza | 9 | 1.38 | 1.72 | 0.88 | 1.21 | 0.26 | 0.14 | 0.00 |
| Felix Hernandez | 9 | 1.60 | 0.49 | 0.50 | 1.06 | 0.20 | 0.64 | 0.00 |
| Jonathon Niese | 9 | 1.37 | 0.16 | 1.25 | 0.03 | 1.14 | 0.89 | 0.00 |
| David Price | 9 | 1.38 | 0.38 | 0.29 | 1.63 | 0.11 | 0.64 | 0.00 |
| Juan Nicasio | 9 | 1.12 | 0.33 | -0.12 | 1.36 | 0.73 | 0.89 | 0.00 |
| Anibal Sanchez | 9 | 1.50 | 1.61 | 0.68 | 0.48 | 0.44 | 0.14 | 0.00 |
| R.A. Dickey | 9 | 0.21 | -0.07 | 1.52 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.75 |
| Rubby De La Rosa | 9 | 0.90 | 0.27 | -1.38 | 2.09 | 0.17 | 1.39 | 0.00 |
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Am I the only one that doesn’t get NERD?
no