Outfielders by wRAA/UZR

One graph is not enough for today, so, here’s another. This one is 2008 major league outfielders with defense on the horizontal axis and offense on the vertical axis. I adjusted the UZR for all the centerfielders up 10 runs (except Ichiro and Ellsbury, who got lesser adjustments for less than full seasons as a CF), since the average CF is about 10 runs better defensively than the average corner OF. I also adjusted all the wRAA numbers down by 8.5 runs to account for the fact that outfielders are better than average hitters. This puts all the outfielders on the same scale, where we’re comparing them all evenly to each other.

The upper left quadrant would be the the good bat/bad glove, group, consisting of guys like Brad Hawpe, Adam Dunn, and Bobby Abreu. This could also be referred to as the reality check group, as they just had their contract demands violently re-adjusted. These guys have been, for the most part, viewed as star level players, but are generally less valuable than perceived due to their lack of defensive ability.

The lowet left quadrant would be, essentially, replacement level players. A below average bat and a below average glove is not a good combination. Here you see guys like Jeff Francoeur, Delmon Young, and Jose Guillen. They didn’t help their teams last year.

The lower right quadrant are the bad bat/good glove guys – the ones who don’t hit all that well but offer their value in the field. These players are the antithesis of the sluggers, and in general, have been undervalued for the last few years. Carlos Gomez is a great example, as his bat was bad but his glove more than made up for it, making him a positive contributor to the Twins.

But then there’s the upper right quadrant. These guys are the ones that everyone likes. They hit, they run, they throw – they are five tool superstars and among the best players in the game. You’ll find guys like Carlos Beltran, Grady Sizemore, and Nick Markakis hanging out over here.