Cost of "hiding" batters, zone rating

Number4 · 07-12-2015, 01:35 PM

So, my right fielder's defense was marginal anyway (bad range mitigated by cannon arm), now injuries and age made him unplayable in the field, so he's my DH now. Bat still good.
My former DH was forced to move to first, where he's projected to have a zone rating of -7 in a season. What does this mean?

Likewise my left fielders defense starts to degrade, bat also still good.

Now both my DH and LF are in their last contract year, and I have to consider letting go of one or both of them and bringing in decent defenders or keeping them.

So is there a way to easily compare fielding "WAR", or even another stat, that enables me to decide if batting upsides outweigh fielding downsides?

RchW · 07-12-2015, 01:43 PM

Where do you see this projected zone rating in game? Never seen it.

Number4 · 07-12-2015, 01:54 PM

I've seen the ZR for my partial season (-2,5 after 60) and imagined it to be around -7 after 162.

RchW · 07-12-2015, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Number4

I've seen the ZR for my partial season (-2,5 after 60) and imagined it to be around -7 after 162.

Ah ok. I've seen significant variations in defensive results within a season. I doubt you can assume a linear result like that. I'm no expert though.

Number4 · 07-12-2015, 02:04 PM

But this is the only 1b fielding data for my ex-DH and I think an usable ballpark figure. Maybe it will be -6, or -8, but I won't see a gold glove there.

Trebro · 07-12-2015, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Number4

So, my right fielder's defense was marginal anyway (bad range mitigated by cannon arm), now injuries and age made him unplayable in the field, so he's my DH now. Bat still good.
My former DH was forced to move to first, where he's projected to have a zone rating of -7 in a season. What does this mean?

Likewise my left fielders defense starts to degrade, bat also still good.

Now both my DH and LF are in their last contract year, and I have to consider letting go of one or both of them and bringing in decent defenders or keeping them.

So is there a way to easily compare fielding "WAR", or even another stat, that enables me to decide if batting upsides outweigh fielding downsides?

A lot depends on the make-up of your team. For example, if you have a lot of pitch to contact pitchers, going out there with a defensively challenged team makes no sense. If you have fly ball pitchers, why would you want a guy with no range out there patrolling left?

Similarly, if you know you need to score 5 runs a game to win, game in, game out, because your pitchers' WHIP is terrible and runners start scoring anyway, then maybe going for offence is the way to do it.

In my current, 1981 settings league, stolen bases are plentiful (yay! I know they are statistically bad, but I love seeing folks run around the bases.). I had a catcher who was a great offensive force, but could barely catch 25% of baserunners. I let him walk. Too many folks were getting on second or third, then scoring on a single.

So I don't think there's a magic bullet, there's makeup of the team and the league you're playing in.

07-12-2015, 01:35 PM	#1
Number4 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 460	Cost of "hiding" batters, zone rating So, my right fielder's defense was marginal anyway (bad range mitigated by cannon arm), now injuries and age made him unplayable in the field, so he's my DH now. Bat still good. My former DH was forced to move to first, where he's projected to have a zone rating of -7 in a season. What does this mean? Likewise my left fielders defense starts to degrade, bat also still good. Now both my DH and LF are in their last contract year, and I have to consider letting go of one or both of them and bringing in decent defenders or keeping them. So is there a way to easily compare fielding "WAR", or even another stat, that enables me to decide if batting upsides outweigh fielding downsides? Last edited by Number4; 07-12-2015 at 01:38 PM.

07-12-2015, 01:43 PM	#2
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto ON by way of Glasgow UK Posts: 15,629	Where do you see this projected zone rating in game? Never seen it. __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

07-12-2015, 01:54 PM	#3
Number4 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 460	I've seen the ZR for my partial season (-2,5 after 60) and imagined it to be around -7 after 162.

07-12-2015, 02:04 PM	#5
Number4 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 460	But this is the only 1b fielding data for my ex-DH and I think an usable ballpark figure. Maybe it will be -6, or -8, but I won't see a gold glove there.