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Encyclopedia > Runs created

Runs created (RC) is a baseball statistic invented by Bill James to estimate the number of runs a hitter contributes to his team. As with many sports, and perhaps even more so, statistics are very important to baseball. ... Bill James (born October 5, 1949 in Mayetta, Kansas) is an influential baseball writer / statistician. ...

Contents


Purpose

James explains in his Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract why runs created is an essential thing to measure:

With regard to an offensive player, the first key question is how many runs have resulted from what he has done with the bat and on the basepaths. Willie McCovey hit .270 in his career, with 353 doubles, 46 triples, 521 home runs and 1,345 walks -- but his job was not to hit doubles, nor to hit singles, nor to hit triples, nor to draw walks or even hit home runs, but rather to put runs on the scoreboard. How many runs resulted from all of these things?1 Willie Lee McCovey (born January 10, 1938 in Mobile, Alabama), nicknamed Big Mac and Stretch, is a former slugger and first baseman who played Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics between 1959 and 1980. ...

Runs created attempts to answer this bedrock question. The conceptual framework of the "runs created" stat is:


frac{A;times;B}{C}


where

  • A = Craig's Gayness percentage
  • B = Sean's Gayness percentage
  • C = How many times they hump a day on average

Formulae

Basic runs created

In the most basic runs created formula:

A: H + BB
B: TB
C: AB + BB

where TB is total bases and AB is at-bats. In baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H), sometimes called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielders choice. ... In baseball statistics, a base on balls (BB), also called a walk, is credited to a batter and against a pitcher when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. ... In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i. ... In baseball statistics, an at bat (AB) is used to calculate other data such as batting average. ... In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i. ... In baseball statistics, an at bat (AB) is used to calculate other data such as batting average. ...


This can also be expressed as:

OBP × SLG × AB
or,
OBP × TB

where OBP is on base percentage and SLG is slugging percentage. In baseball statistics, on base percentage (OBP) (sometimes referred to as on base average (OBA)) is a measure of how often a batter gets to first base for any reason other than a fielding error or a fielders choice. ... In baseball statistics, slugging average (SLG) is a measure of the power of a hitter. ...


"Stolen base" version of runs created

This formula expands on the basic formula by accounting for a player's basestealing ability.

A: H + BB - CS
B: TB + (.55 * SB)
C: AB + BB

In baseball, a player is charged with a caught stealing when, as a runner, the player attempts to advance from one base to another without the ball being struck by a batter, but is put out by a fielder while making the attempt. ... The all-time stolen base leader, Rickey Henderson, swipes third in 1985 In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. ...

"Technical" version of runs created

This formula accounts for all basic, easily available offensive statistics.

A: H + BB - CS + HBP - GIDP
B: TB + (.26 * (BB - IBB + HBP)) + (.52 * (SH + SF + SB))
C: AB + BB + HBP + SH + SF

where IBB is intentional walks. In baseball statistics, Grounded into double play (GDIP) is a measure of the number of ground balls hit that became double plays. ... In baseball statistics, a base on balls (BB), also called a walk, is credited to a batter and against a pitcher when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. ... In baseball statistics, an intentional base on balls (denoted by IBB), often called an intentional walk, is used in baseball to count the number of times a walk was issued with no intent of ever allowing a hit. ... In baseball, a sacrifice hit is the act of deliberately striking the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base, while the batter is himself put out. ... In baseball, a batted ball is considered a sacrifice fly (denoted by SF) if the following four criteria are met: There are fewer than two outs. ...


2002 version of runs created

Earlier versions of runs created overestimated the number of runs created by players with extremely high A and B factors (on-base and slugging), such as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds. This is because these formulae placed a player in an offensive context of players equal to himself; it is as if the player is assumed to be on base for himself when he hits homeruns. Of course, this is impossible, and in reality, a great player is interacting with offensive players whose contributions are inferior to his. The 2002 version corrects this by placing the player in the context of his real-life team. This 2002 version also takes into account performance in "clutch" situations. For the band named Babe Ruth, see Babe Ruth (band). ... Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002), nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame and The Thumper, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played 19 seasons, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot, with the Boston Red Sox. ... Barry Lamar Bonds born July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California. ...

A: H + BB - CS + HBP - GIDP
B: TB + (.24 * (BB - IBB + HBP)) + (.62 * SB) + (.5 * (SH + SF)) - (.03 * K)
C: AB + BB + HBP + SH + SF

The initial individual runs created estimate is then: In baseball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by K, K-S, or SO) occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. ...


left ( frac{(2.4C+A);x;(3C+B)}{9C} right ) - .9C


If situational hitting information is available, the following should be added to the above total:


((Hits with runners in scoring position) - (AB with runners in scoring position * BA)) + ((HR with runners on base) - ((AB with runners on base * HR) / AB)) In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat. ... Batting average is a statistic in both baseball and cricket measuring the performance of baseball hitters and cricket batsmen, respectively. ...


This is then figured for every member of the team, and an estimate of total team runs scored is added up. The actual total of team runs scored is then divided by the estimated total team runs scored, yielding a ratio of real to estimated team runs scored. The above individual runs created estimate is then multiplied by this ratio, to yield a runs created estimate for the individual.


Other expressions of runs created

The same information provided by runs created can be expressed as a rate stat, rather than a raw number of runs contributed. This is usually expressed as runs created per some number of outs, e.g. RC/25 or RC/27 (27 of course being the number of outs per team in a standard 9-inning baseball game). An innings, or inning, is a segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which a side takes its turn to bat. ... Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball at a player on the other team (the batter), who attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical bat that can be made out of either...


Accuracy

Runs created is believed to be an accurate measure of an individual's offensive contribution because, when used on whole teams, the formula normally closely approximates how many runs the team actually scores. Even the basic version of runs created usually predicts a team's run total within a 5% margin of error.2 Other, more advanced versions are even more accurate.


Problems with runs created

Runs created does not take into account the stadiums in which a player hits. Certain stadiums, such as Denver's Coors Field, generally increase offensive production in games played there. Since each run scored in such stadiums is less valuable, the same number of runs created will translate into fewer wins in a stadium like Coors than it would elsewhere. Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado is the home field of the National Leagues Colorado Rockies. ...


Runs created also does not take into account the era in which a player played. Due to various factors, some eras of baseball history have had lower or higher average levels of offensive production.


Related statistics

  • OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) is similar conceptually to runs created, except that it adds the A (on-base) and B (advancement) factors together, rather than multiplying them. This makes the statistic less accurate than runs created. However, OPS is easier for many fans to accept and embrace because they are already familiar with the individual OBP and SLG statistics that comprise it, and because it is simple to figure out.
  • Win Shares is James' attempt to summarize, in one stat, a player's contributions on both offense and defense.

In baseball statistics, on-base plus slugging (denoted by OPS) incorporates on base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage (SLG). ... Win Shares is a book (ISBN 1931584036) about baseball written by Bill James, published by STATS, Inc. ...

See also

Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. ...

External links

References

Note 1: James, Bill (1985). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (1st ed.), pp. 273-4. Villard. ISBN 0394537130.


Note 2: James, Bill (2002). Win Shares, p. 90. STATS, Inc. Publishing. ISBN 1-931584-03-6.


  Results from FactBites:
 
Runs created - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (872 words)
Runs created (RC) is a baseball statistic invented by Bill James to estimate the number of runs a hitter contributes to his team.
Earlier versions of runs created overestimated the number of runs created by players with extremely high A and B factors (on-base and slugging), such as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.
Runs created is believed to be an accurate measure of an individual's offensive contribution because, when used on whole teams, the formula normally closely approximates how many runs the team actually scores.
Value over replacement player - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (715 words)
Other statistics compare players to the league average, which is good for cross-era analysis (example: 90 runs created in 1915 are much better than 90 RC in 1996, because runs were more scarce in 1915).
At the other end of the defensive spectrum, first basemen and designated hitters must produce at 85% of average to be considered better than "replacement level," since defense is not a big consideration at either position (it's actually not a consideration at all for the DH).
Now multiply that number (of runs) by.8, or whatever percentage of average the replacement level is designated to be; the result is the number of runs you could expect a "replacement player" to put up with that number of outs.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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