Baseball Player Won-Loss Records
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2012 Season

The 2012 Season as seen through the Prism of Player Won-Lost Records

This article takes a look at the 2012 season as measured by Player won-lost records.

The Best of 2012

I calculate Player won-lost records two ways: pWins, which tie to team wins and eWins, which control for context and the ability of one's teammates. For players with more pWins than eWins, their Player wins contributed to more team wins than one might expect; for players with more eWins than pWins, just the opposite is true: their Player wins translated into fewer team wins than expected. Or more briefly: a player with more pWins than eWins was better in context, a player with more eWins than pWins was worse in context.

The top 10 players in pWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

pWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players
pWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL Player pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1Buster Posey19.312.66.6
8.2
1Mike Trout22.615.66.5
8.4
2Yoenis Cespedes19.812.96.6
8.3
2Robinson Cano23.517.86.3
8.4
3Mike Trout22.615.66.5
8.4
3Yoenis Cespedes19.812.96.6
8.3
4Robinson Cano23.517.86.3
8.4
4Buster Posey19.312.66.6
8.2
5Adrian Beltre20.614.26.2
8.0
5Adrian Beltre20.614.26.2
8.0
6Dan Uggla21.416.35.3
7.2
6Dan Uggla21.416.35.3
7.2
7Aramis Ramirez21.015.05.3
7.1
7Adam Jones23.818.35.0
7.1
8Adam Jones23.818.35.0
7.1
8Aramis Ramirez21.015.05.3
7.1
9Kris Medlen8.84.15.0
5.9
9Chase Headley22.416.75.0
6.9
10Chase Headley22.416.75.0
6.9
10Justin Verlander16.311.94.8
6.6


The top 10 players in eWins above Positional Average and Replacement Level were as follows.

eWins over Positional Average
Top 10 Players
eWins over Replacement Level
Top 10 Players
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL Player eWins eLosses eWOPA eWORL
1Mike Trout22.116.25.5
7.4
1Ryan J. Braun23.116.75.5
7.5
2Ryan J. Braun23.116.75.5
7.5
2Mike Trout22.116.25.5
7.4
3Andrew McCutchen23.317.15.3
7.3
3Andrew McCutchen23.317.15.3
7.3
4Clayton Kershaw15.011.15.2
6.7
4Robinson Cano22.818.55.1
7.1
5Robinson Cano22.818.55.1
7.1
5Chase Headley22.416.75.0
6.9
6Chase Headley22.416.75.0
6.9
6Clayton Kershaw15.011.15.2
6.7
7Edwin Encarnacion17.712.44.7
6.5
7Edwin Encarnacion17.712.44.7
6.5
8Justin Verlander16.112.14.6
6.4
8Justin Verlander16.112.14.6
6.4
9Buster Posey18.113.74.4
6.0
9Adrian Beltre19.715.14.3
6.1
10Adrian Beltre19.715.14.3
6.1
10Buster Posey18.113.74.4
6.0


I take a look at some of the most interesting players of 2012 at the end of this article.

2012 Postseason

The 2012 postseason began with the first-ever wild-card play-in games, which were highlighted by a disputed invocation of the infield fly rule. It ended with the San Francisco Giants winning their second World Series in three years.

2012 Postseason: Total
Player Team pWins pLosses pWORL
Ryan VogelsongSFN2.10.91.5
Gregor BlancoSFN2.61.21.4
Marco ScutaroCOL2.81.71.3
Justin VerlanderDET2.21.41.1
C.C. SabathiaNYA2.11.40.9
Barry ZitoSFN1.60.90.9
Brandon CrawfordSFN2.21.60.9
Sergio RomoSFN0.80.10.8
Raul IbanezNYA1.30.60.8
Pablo SandovalSFN2.51.90.7


Top postseason players by round were as follows.

2012 World Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Gregor BlancoSFN1.00.30.7
Pablo SandovalSFN1.00.40.6
Marco ScutaroCOL0.70.30.4
Sergio RomoSFN0.30.00.3
Ryan VogelsongSFN0.60.30.3

2012 Postseason: League Championship Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Marco ScutaroCOL1.60.80.9
Ryan VogelsongSFN1.20.50.7
Delmon YoungDET1.00.30.7
Matt CarpenterSLN0.80.10.7
Miguel CabreraDET0.80.30.5

2012 Postseason: Division Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
C.C. SabathiaNYA1.70.51.2
Justin VerlanderDET1.30.40.9
Raul IbanezNYA0.90.10.8
Pete KozmaSLN1.00.60.4
Chris Carpenter (1997)SLN0.70.30.4

2012 Postseason: Wild Card Round
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Joe SaundersARI0.50.20.4
Matt HollidaySLN0.40.00.3
Nate McLouthBAL0.30.10.3


Best of 2012 by Factor and Position

Next, let's look at the top players in various aspects of the game.
Best by Factor: Batting, Baserunning, Pitching, Fielding
There are four basic factors for which players earn Player won-lost records: Batting, Baserunning, Pitching, and Fielding. The top players in 2012 in wins over positional average (WOPA) by factor were as follows.

Batting
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Edwin Encarnacion15.510.5
4.9
1Buster Posey16.29.76.2
2Mike Trout15.410.6
4.7
2Josh Willingham16.611.05.5
3Andrew McCutchen15.810.8
4.7
3Adrian Beltre15.910.35.5
4Ryan J. Braun15.310.2
4.7
4Prince Fielder17.111.65.4
5Miguel Cabrera16.912.4
4.4
5Yoenis Cespedes13.48.05.3
6Prince Fielder16.612.1
4.3
6Mike Trout15.610.45.1
7Chase Headley15.611.0
4.3
7Joey Votto11.76.45.1
8Buster Posey15.210.7
4.1
8Aramis Ramirez16.211.04.9
9Joey Votto11.26.9
4.1
9Adam LaRoche16.311.14.9
10Josh Willingham15.711.9
3.7
10Edwin Encarnacion15.410.74.6
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Baserunning
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Tony Campana1.30.4
0.9
1Mike Trout2.71.21.5
2Coco Crisp1.80.9
0.9
2Tony Campana1.40.31.1
3Desmond Jennings1.30.6
0.8
3Jimmy Rollins2.00.91.1
4Mike Trout2.41.6
0.8
4Desmond Jennings1.50.51.0
5Michael Bourn2.21.4
0.7
5Ryan Zimmerman1.50.70.8
6Everth Cabrera1.50.9
0.6
6Carlos Gomez1.40.50.8
7Gregor Blanco1.71.0
0.6
7Michael Bourn2.21.40.8
8Shane Victorino1.61.0
0.6
8Coco Crisp1.71.00.7
9Ben Revere1.71.1
0.6
9Will Venable1.40.70.7
10Ryan Zimmerman1.40.8
0.6
10Quintin Berry1.10.50.6
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Pitching
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss Net eWins Player pWins pLoss Net pWins
1Fernando Rodney6.93.5
3.5
1Jim R. Johnson7.32.44.9
2Clayton Kershaw13.29.8
3.4
2Craig Kimbrel6.92.44.5
3Justin Verlander15.412.1
3.2
3Kris Medlen8.03.64.4
4Kris Medlen7.34.3
3.0
4Justin Verlander15.911.64.3
5David Price12.79.7
3.0
5Clayton Kershaw13.59.54.0
6Craig Kimbrel6.03.3
2.7
6Fernando Rodney7.23.23.9
7Aroldis Chapman6.84.2
2.5
7Gio Gonzalez12.38.53.8
8Gio Gonzalez11.79.1
2.5
8David Price13.09.43.6
9Cliff P. Lee11.48.9
2.5
9Rafael Soriano7.13.73.5
10Johnny Cueto13.411.0
2.3
10Cole Hamels12.89.43.5


Fielding by Position


Fielding, P
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Lucas Harrell0.50.1
0.4
1Johnny Cueto0.60.20.5
2Mark Buehrle0.70.3
0.4
2Mark Buehrle0.70.30.4
3Johnny Cueto0.60.2
0.4
3Lucas Harrell0.50.20.3
4Cliff P. Lee0.50.3
0.3
4Fernando Rodney0.40.10.3
5Joe M. Smith0.30.1
0.3
5Kris Medlen0.30.00.3


Fielding, C
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Yadier Molina1.91.3
0.5
1Ryan Hanigan1.90.81.1
2Salvador Perez1.10.6
0.5
2Salvador Perez1.20.60.6
3Kurt Suzuki1.61.2
0.4
3Carlos Ruiz1.61.10.5
4Ryan Hanigan1.51.2
0.4
4Yadier Molina1.81.40.5
5Carlos Ruiz1.51.2
0.3
5Yasmani Grandal1.20.80.5


Fielding, 1B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Mark Teixeira2.51.9
0.6
1Mark Teixeira2.71.80.9
2Adrian Gonzalez2.72.1
0.6
2Adam LaRoche3.02.20.8
3Carlos Lee2.41.9
0.5
3Casey Kotchman2.92.10.8
4Yonder Alonso2.62.2
0.4
4Mitch Moreland2.01.30.7
5Adam LaRoche2.82.4
0.4
5James Loney2.21.50.7


Fielding, 2B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Darwin Barney6.24.5
1.7
1Dustin Ackley5.74.41.2
2Dustin Ackley5.44.8
0.6
2Robinson Cano5.74.51.1
3Mark Ellis3.53.0
0.5
3Dan Uggla6.75.71.0
4Dustin Pedroia4.94.4
0.5
4Aaron Hill5.94.90.9
5Danny Espinosa3.83.4
0.4
5Darwin Barney5.84.90.8


Fielding, 3B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Manny Machado2.01.4
0.6
1Chase Headley5.84.51.3
2Chase Headley5.44.8
0.6
2Aramis Ramirez3.92.91.0
3Alberto Callaspo3.83.3
0.5
3Adrian Beltre3.83.00.8
4Mike Moustakas4.74.2
0.5
4Ryan Zimmerman5.14.30.8
5Luis Valbuena2.52.0
0.5
5Brett Lawrie4.33.60.7


Fielding, SS
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1J.J. Hardy7.76.5
1.2
1J.J. Hardy7.96.31.6
2Brendan Ryan6.65.4
1.2
2Zack Cozart5.94.81.1
3Andrelton Simmons2.31.4
0.9
3Erick Aybar6.04.91.0
4Zack Cozart5.74.9
0.8
4Andrelton Simmons2.31.31.0
5Brandon Crawford5.64.8
0.8
5Brandon Crawford5.74.71.0


Fielding, LF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Martin Prado4.43.5
0.9
1Martin Prado4.83.11.7
2Ryan J. Braun6.45.8
0.6
2Yoenis Cespedes3.42.31.2
3Desmond Jennings3.32.7
0.6
3Alex Gordon7.86.81.1
4Charlie Blackmon1.00.5
0.5
4Melky Cabrera4.63.80.8
5Dayan Viciedo5.14.7
0.4
5Daniel Nava3.12.40.8


Fielding, CF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Michael Bourn5.64.4
1.2
1Adam Jones6.55.11.4
2Coco Crisp3.72.8
0.9
2Coco Crisp3.92.51.4
3Lorenzo Cain1.91.2
0.6
3Michael Bourn5.64.41.1
4Matt Kemp4.03.4
0.5
4Michael Saunders4.73.70.9
5Adam Jones6.15.5
0.5
5Roger Bernadina1.60.70.9


Fielding, RF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Alexis Rios7.25.8
1.4
1Jason Heyward6.35.01.4
2Norichika Aoki5.03.8
1.2
2Jose 'Joey Bats' Bautista4.02.71.3
3Jason Heyward6.15.2
0.9
3Josh Reddick6.65.41.2
4Josh Reddick6.35.6
0.7
4Norichika Aoki5.03.81.2
5Giancarlo Stanton5.24.6
0.6
5Torii Hunter6.14.91.2


Best by Position
Next, we look at 2012 Major-League leaders by position. The figures shown here only include Player decisions earned while playing this particular position.

Catcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Buster Posey14.611.2
3.5
1Buster Posey15.410.45.1
2Yadier Molina14.711.7
3.0
2Yadier Molina15.510.94.7
3Carlos Ruiz11.79.1
2.7
3Carlos Ruiz11.79.12.7
4Miguel Montero15.112.9
2.2
4Miguel Montero15.013.02.1
5Joe Mauer8.36.6
1.9
5Yasmani Grandal6.64.71.9


First Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Joey Votto13.89.8
3.2
1Adam LaRoche20.014.04.8
2Prince Fielder19.615.9
2.9
2Prince Fielder20.515.04.7
3Edwin Encarnacion8.76.2
2.2
3Joey Votto14.39.34.2
4Adam LaRoche18.515.4
1.8
4Paul Goldschmidt17.413.13.2
5Paul Goldschmidt16.713.8
1.7
5Freddie Freeman18.414.23.1


Second Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Robinson Cano21.618.0
4.4
1Robinson Cano22.517.16.1
2Aaron Hill20.819.0
2.2
2Dan Uggla21.416.35.4
3Dustin Pedroia17.716.3
2.0
3Brandon Phillips20.916.74.5
4Dan Uggla19.717.9
2.0
4Aaron Hill21.518.43.4
5Darwin Barney18.116.9
1.5
5Neil Walker16.514.91.9


Third Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Chase Headley22.216.8
4.7
1Aramis Ramirez20.814.75.5
2David Wright20.816.6
3.5
2Chase Headley22.416.75.0
3Aramis Ramirez19.815.7
3.4
3Adrian Beltre17.412.44.8
4Adrian Beltre16.713.1
3.3
4Miguel Cabrera21.217.13.9
5Miguel Cabrera20.917.4
3.2
5Pablo Sandoval14.310.33.6


Shortstop
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Asdrubal Cabrera19.417.8
2.5
1Ian Desmond18.815.34.0
2Erick Aybar17.015.6
2.2
2Erick Aybar17.415.22.9
3Ian Desmond17.816.3
2.1
3Jimmy Rollins20.318.22.7
4Ben Zobrist7.15.4
2.0
4Ben Zobrist7.35.12.5
5Jed Lowrie11.410.2
1.5
5J.J. Hardy20.719.22.4


Left Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Ryan J. Braun22.616.9
5.0
1Yoenis Cespedes9.97.14.0
2Josh Willingham18.915.8
2.7
2Melky Cabrera16.413.03.8
3Matt Holliday20.417.5
2.0
3Ryan J. Braun21.716.93.2
4Melky Cabrera15.513.0
1.9
4Martin Prado16.112.93.1
5Martin Prado15.512.9
1.9
5Matt Holliday20.917.53.1


Center Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Andrew McCutchen23.117.2
5.1
1Mike Trout17.311.45.5
2Mike Trout16.412.2
3.8
2Adam Jones23.718.15.1
3Matt Kemp15.912.2
3.0
3Matt Kemp16.511.64.3
4Adam Jones22.319.5
2.2
4Austin Jackson19.615.73.4
5Austin Jackson19.016.3
2.1
5Andrew McCutchen22.218.13.2


Right Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Giancarlo Stanton18.113.5
4.0
1Torii Hunter19.415.03.9
2Jason Heyward21.517.5
3.0
2Jason Heyward21.617.33.3
3Alexis Rios23.019.8
2.5
3Jose 'Joey Bats' Bautista12.89.33.2
4Jose 'Joey Bats' Bautista12.49.6
2.4
4Alexis Rios23.319.53.2
5Carlos Beltran17.915.3
1.7
5Carlos Beltran18.614.63.2


Starting Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Clayton Kershaw13.610.0
3.9
1Justin Verlander16.211.84.8
2Justin Verlander15.712.4
3.7
2Clayton Kershaw13.99.74.6
3David Price13.09.9
3.4
3Gio Gonzalez12.58.74.2
4Johnny Cueto14.011.3
3.0
4David Price13.39.54.1
5Cliff P. Lee11.99.2
3.0
5Cole Hamels13.39.73.9
6Gio Gonzalez11.99.4
2.8
6Kris Medlen6.02.23.9
7Chris Sale13.111.0
2.4
7Johnny Cueto14.410.93.8
8R.A. Dickey14.112.1
2.3
8R.A. Dickey14.811.43.8
9Kris Medlen5.23.0
2.3
9Jered Weaver13.19.73.7
10Wade Miley11.39.3
2.2
10Tim Hudson11.68.33.7


Relief Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Fernando Rodney7.33.6
3.4
1Jim R. Johnson7.52.54.7
2Craig Kimbrel6.13.3
2.5
2Craig Kimbrel7.02.44.3
3Aroldis Chapman6.84.3
2.3
3Fernando Rodney7.63.33.9
4Jim R. Johnson6.23.8
2.1
4Rafael Soriano7.23.83.1
5Greg Holland5.74.0
1.5
5Aroldis Chapman7.33.83.1
6Grant Balfour5.43.8
1.4
6Steve Cishek6.02.73.1
7Jake McGee3.42.1
1.2
7J. Mike Adams5.62.62.8
8Jonathan Papelbon6.44.9
1.2
8Tom Wilhelmsen7.04.02.7
9Glen Perkins4.33.0
1.1
9Vinnie Pestano6.43.82.3
10Kenley Jansen5.03.7
1.1
10Darren O'Day4.11.62.3


Designated Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Edwin Encarnacion8.45.8
2.3
1David Ortiz8.75.72.7
2David Ortiz8.36.1
2.0
2Adam Dunn9.16.82.0
3Billy Butler13.812.2
1.1
3Edwin Encarnacion8.26.11.8


Finally, here are the best at three oft-forgotten positions that can nevertheless matter: pitcher offense, pinch hitting, and pinch running.

Pitcher Offense
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Mike Leake1.11.0
0.6
1Jordan Zimmermann1.31.00.8
2Stephen Strasburg1.11.2
0.6
2Mike Leake1.11.00.7
3Jordan Zimmermann1.01.3
0.4
3Eric Stults0.90.80.6


Pinch Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Brandon Allen1.10.1
1.0
1Brandon Allen1.10.11.0
2Jordany Valdespin1.81.0
0.8
2Alberto Callaspo1.00.20.8
3Travis Buck0.70.1
0.6
3Yasmani Grandal0.90.20.8


Pinch Runner
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Carlos Gomez0.50.0
0.4
1Peter Bourjos0.50.10.4
2Peter Bourjos0.40.1
0.3
2Carlos Gomez0.50.10.4
3Tony Campana0.30.0
0.2
3Tony Campana0.30.00.2


Noteworthy Players of 2012

Buster Posey won the National League MVP award fairly handily. Player won-lost records generally agrees, with Buster Posey leading all National League players in pWins above both average and replacement level.

There were, however, several other results that seem to warrant further investigation.
AL MVP Race: Miguel Cabrera v. Mike Trout
Miguel Cabrera was voted American League MVP on the strength of his having won the Triple Crown: leading the American League in batting average (.330), home runs (44), and RBIs (139). The overwhelming consensus of sabermetric commentators, however, was that Mike Trout deserved the award.

So what do Player won-lost records have to say about the Cabrera-Trout debate?

Let's start with the measure of Player won-lost records that is most similar to other sabermetric measures: eWins and eLosses, which are neutralized for context and teammate quality.

Batting Baserunning Fielding Positional
eWins eLosses eWins eLosses eWins eLosses Average Repl. Level
Miguel Cabrera16.9
12.4
0.9
0.8
4.0
4.8
0.5040.454
Mike Trout15.4
10.6
2.4
1.6
4.2
4.2
0.5060.457


Despite winning the Triple Crown, Trout is actually slightly ahead of Cabrera in net batting wins (eWins minus eLosses), although the two are fairly close. Trout moves more decisively ahead of Cabrera, however, with better baserunning and better fielding (although, I notice that Player won-lost records aren't a huge fan of Trout's fielding). Third base and center field are pretty comparable positions in terms of positional average, so there's nothing interesting there. Trout was better, although Cabrera makes up some of that gap if you measure vs. replacement level instead of average, because of his extra playing time.

But what about the argument that Cabrera should get credit for getting hot in the last two months and carrying the Tigers to the playoffs (and ultimately, the World Series), while the Angels missed the playoffs entirely? Moving from eWins to pWins puts the performances of Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout in the context of how they contributed to team victories.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Miguel Cabrera
161
22.017.70.5544.0
5.9
21.917.80.5523.85.8
Mike Trout
139
22.615.60.5916.5
8.4
22.116.20.5775.57.4

Context just increases Trout's lead.

Better in Context: Adam Jones, Yoenis Cespedes
Looking at the top 10 players in pWOPA and pWORL from the beginning of this article, two names that caught my eye were the top position players on the two most surprising playoff teams of 2012: Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles and Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland A's.

The table below shows Player won-lost records for Adam Jones and Yoenis Cespedes both in and out of context.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Adam Jones
162
23.818.30.5665.0
7.1
22.519.60.5352.34.4
Yoenis Cespedes
129
19.812.90.6066.6
8.3
18.114.50.5553.24.9


The Baltimore Orioles competed with the New York Yankees for the AL East Division title down to the last day of the season. Yet, for most of the season, the Orioles were outscored by their opponents. Comparing their pWins and (context-neutral) eWins, the Orioles won 19.8 more games than would have been expected given their context-neutral stats. Based on the context of his performance, Adam Jones was personally responsible for 2.7 of these extra wins, (13.6%).

As one example of the Orioles' "clutchiness" and Adam Jones's part in it, the Orioles had an incredible 16-2 record in extra-inning games. In extra innings, Adam Jones batted .292/.393/.833, an OPS of 1.226, with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs in 28 plate appearances over 15 games. Overall, in the Orioles 16 extra-inning wins, Jones drove in the winning run 5 times (4 via home run) and scored the winning run another 4 times. Yep, he scored or drove in the winning run in over half of the Orioles' extra-inning wins!

As impressive as Jones was in context, Cespedes might have been even better. His OPS by leverage (high/med/low): 1.067/0.959/0.688. His OPS in extra innings: 1.500.

Adam Jones played every game for the Orioles in 2012, so it's impossible to say how much worse off the team would have done without him. Yoenis Cespedes, on the other hand, missed 33 games in 2012. And how did the A's do without him in the lineup? They went 12-21 without him (12-22 in games he didn't start). That translates into a 59-103 record over 162 games. With Cespedes in the starting lineup, the A's went 82-46, the equivalent of a 104-58 record over 162 games. Fluke? Sure, and I'm not suggesting he was worth an extra 35 wins or anything like that. But the timing of his hits, like those of Jones, translated into real wins for his team.

Worse in Context: Ryan Braun, Andrew McCutchen
While some players, such as Adam Jones and Yoenis Cespedes, were better in context than their raw context-neutral statistics might suggest, the reverse was also true. Some players' statistics did not translate into team victories to the extent that might have been expected. Two players who appear in the top 10 lists for eWOPA and eWORL at the top of this article but not for pWOPA and pWORL are Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers and Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Ryan Braun
154
21.918.00.5493.1
5.1
23.116.70.5805.57.5
Andrew McCutchen
157
22.218.10.5503.2
5.1
23.317.10.5775.37.3


Neither the Milwaukee Brewers (32.6 pWORL, 34.2 eWORL) nor the Pittsburgh Pirates (24.5 pWORL, 25.8 eWORL) were notably good or bad at converting expected wins into actual wins. What the two teams did have in common, however, was that both teams' best player looks worse in context.

Ryan Braun's OPS by leverage (high/med/low) in 2012 was .894/.997/1.007. None of those numbers are bad, of course, they'd just be a bit more valuable if they were reversed.

The numbers aren't quite as dramatic for Andrew McCutchen (high/med/low), .885/1.066/.900. Again, an .885 OPS in high-leverage situations is well above-average, just not up to the level of McCutchen's overall OPS of .953.

Where Did That Come From? Kris Medlen
In the top 10 lists for pWOPA and pWORL above, only one player appears who had fewer than 15 pWins: Kris Medlen. From my perspective, the greatness of Kris Medlen's season really came out of nowhere. I only became vaguely aware that he was even having a great season some time in either August or September.

Looking at Kris Medlen's career through 2011, it's easy to see why I didn't see this coming. Up to that point, he had amassed a career pWin-pLoss record of 8.7 - 8.3, good for 0.9 pWOPA and 2.1 pWORL.

Then 2012 happened and Kris Medlen put up this line.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Kris Medlen
50
8.84.10.6835.0
5.9
8.14.80.6283.74.7


Earning 5.0 pWOPA on only 8.8 pWins is remarkable and struck me as probably being pretty damn rare. In fact, here are all of the players who have earned 4.5 or more pWOPA in a season in which they amassed fewer than 9.0 pWins since 1916.

pWOPA>4.5, pWins<9.0
(ranked by pWOPA)
Player Team Season pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
Zach BrittonBAL7.81.85.7
6.7
Eric GagneLAN8.42.65.5
6.7
Kenley JansenLAN7.82.15.4
6.5
Kirby YatesSDN8.63.45.1
6.4
Frankie RodriguezANA8.83.55.1
6.4
Heath BellSDN8.53.35.0
6.3
Kris MedlenATL8.84.15.0
5.9
Ray NarleskiCLE8.73.94.9
6.3
Tim BurkeMON7.52.34.9
5.9
Dennis EckersleyOAK7.42.44.9
5.8
Brian WilsonSFN7.93.04.8
6.0
Trevor HoffmanSDN7.32.44.8
5.7
Mariano RiveraNYA7.52.64.7
5.8
Jim R. JohnsonBAL7.52.54.7
5.8
Rod BeckSFN8.23.44.7
5.8
Joe NathanMIN6.71.84.6
5.5
Cal EldredMIL8.13.54.6
5.4
Will M. SmithSFN7.12.54.6
5.6
Tug McGrawNYN8.74.44.6
6.0
Randy MyersBAL7.93.24.6
5.7
Al HraboskySLN8.74.14.6
5.8
Tom GordonBOS8.63.94.5
5.8
Jose MesaCLE6.72.24.5
5.5


Same Team, Different Context: Aramis Ramirez v. Ryan Braun
Finally, in looking at the top 10 lists at the top of this article, I noticed that a Milwaukee Brewer made the top 10 in all four statistics. But it was a different Brewer on the lists based on pWins from the one based on eWins: Aramis Ramirez is #7/#8 on the pWOPA and pWORL lists; while Ryan Braun is #2/#1 in eWOPA and eWORL, but nowhere to be found on the pWORL list.


That's kind of interesting: Braun was clearly the better Brewer, but Aramis Ramirez might have been the most valuable Brewer.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Ryan Braun
154
21.918.00.5493.1
5.1
23.116.70.5805.57.5
Aramis Ramirez
149
21.015.00.5835.3
7.1
20.115.90.5583.55.3


As noted above, the Brewers as a team were not particularly noteworthy in terms of eWins vs. pWins, in either a good or a bad way. But what about Braun and Ramirez?

Looking at Ryan Braun's batting splits, one can see some un-clutchiness if you look for it. As noted above, his OPS by leverage (high/med/low) was .894/.997/1.007. Of course, an OPS of .894 is nothing to sneeze at; it's just not the .987 that Braun put up overall. Similarly, with two outs and runners in scoring position, Braun's OPS was .900; late and close, it was .951; in extra innings, it was .866. Overall, Ryan Braun came to bat with 402 teammates on base; he drove in 71 of them (17.7%).

Looking at Aramis Ramirez's splits, you can see the opposite (if you go looking for it). Late and close, his OPS was .998; in extra innings, it was 1.194. Overall, Aramis Ramirez came to bat with 418 teammates on base; he drove in 78 of them, or 18.7%.

Does this mean that Aramis Ramirez was a better baseball player in 2012 than Ryan Braun? No. Does this mean that Aramis Ramirez had a better season in 2012 than Braun? Maybe. Does this mean that Aramis Ramirez's performance translated into team victories at a better rate than Ryan Braun's? Yeah, probably.

Hello Young
One of the big storylines of 2012 was the influx of great young talent. Two players in particular caught the attention of Major League Baseball fans everywhere based partly on the impressive seasons they had, but also, based on how young they were while having these seasons.

Bryce Harper burst onto the scene for the Washington Nationals at the tender age of 19 and put up a season that was good enough to win him the National League Rookie of the Year award. It was also a season that ranked among the best ever for a 19-year-old.

The table below shows the top 10 players in pWORL earned in their age-19 season for whom I have calculated Player won-lost records (since 1916).

Best 19-Year-Olds of the Retrosheet Era
Player Season pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
Dwight Gooden16.311.65.7
7.2
Bob Feller19.516.93.1
5.4
Wally Bunker13.310.33.7
5.3
Mel Ott17.012.63.4
5.1
Gary Nolan15.112.43.4
5.0
Mickey Mantle13.08.93.8
5.0
Bryce Harper19.516.22.5
4.3
Juan Soto15.812.62.5
3.9
Waite Hoyt7.24.82.8
3.6
Art Houtteman6.24.32.1
2.8


By pWORL, Bryce Harper had the 7th-best season by a 19-year-old in the past 60+ years. Not bad at all.

Meanwhile, in the American League, there was a player who was one year older than Harper making a lot of noise too.

Best 20-Year-Olds of the Retrosheet Era
Player Season pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
Dwight Gooden21.111.011.1
13.0
Mel Ott26.517.47.3
9.6
Mickey Mantle22.614.67.4
9.4
Ted Williams25.217.26.7
9.1
Alex Rodriguez22.516.96.6
8.5
Mike Trout22.615.66.5
8.4
Bob Feller20.215.25.7
8.1
Fernando Valenzuela15.210.65.4
6.9
Terry Forster9.34.45.1
6.4
Jose D. Fernandez11.77.64.9
6.1


Goodbye Old
At the opposite extreme from Harper and Trout were the two oldest players to appear in Major League Baseball in 2012: 45-year-old Omar Vizquel and 49-year-old Jamie Moyer. Here is how the recently-completed careers of Vizquel and Moyer look in Player won-lost records.

Omar Vizquel Jamie Moyer
Season Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1986
 
166.36.10.51.2
1987
 
3912.515.6-2.1-0.5
1988
 
3410.614.1-2.6-1.2
1989
14310.614.0-2.5
-1.4
154.56.9-2.2-1.5
1990
817.19.1-1.3
-0.6
334.04.9-0.9-0.2
1991
14213.614.00.4
1.7
81.42.8-1.3-1.0
1992
13614.317.2-1.8
-0.4
1993
15817.319.7-1.3
0.6
259.56.82.73.7
1994
697.49.2-1.2
-0.4
237.37.4-0.10.9
1995
13618.215.53.8
5.5
276.36.00.31.2
1996
15117.117.80.4
2.1
348.37.21.12.2
1997
15317.917.71.5
3.2
3012.310.42.03.5
1998
15118.218.50.9
2.7
3414.511.92.84.6
1999
14420.916.15.8
7.6
3212.810.82.23.8
2000
15617.518.40.1
1.8
269.79.60.21.5
2001
15516.517.5-0.1
1.7
3313.38.84.86.3
2002
15119.319.80.4
2.4
3412.210.71.93.4
2003
648.38.10.5
1.3
3313.79.54.56.0
2004
14816.717.50.0
1.7
3410.413.1-2.5-1.0
2005
15217.318.1-0.3
1.2
3211.710.21.73.1
2006
15318.019.0-0.5
1.2
3312.112.8-0.21.4
2007
14514.316.8-2.4
-1.0
3412.314.7-1.10.6
2008
926.78.8-1.7
-1.0
3311.710.81.63.0
2009
625.04.20.9
1.3
309.511.9-1.5-0.2
2010
1089.99.80.1
1.0
196.88.7-1.5-0.6
2011
584.85.9-0.9
-0.4
2012
603.44.8-1.3
-0.9
103.34.9-1.4-0.9
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS2,968320.2337.6-0.5
31.0
701237.2236.49.039.5


And Finally, Farewell to a Pair of Hall of Famers
Two players who played their final game in 2012 have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as I write this (in 2019). Chipper Jones and Jim Thome were both elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility (2018). This article concludes, then, with a comparison of the career records of Jones and Thome, as measured by Player won-lost records.

Chipper Jones Jim Thome
Season Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1991
 
272.93.5-0.6-0.3
1992
 
403.04.2-1.2-0.8
1993
70.00.0-0.0
-0.0
474.94.80.00.5
1994
 
9811.08.92.33.3
1995
14020.315.54.2
5.9
13718.212.55.67.1
1996
15722.817.25.2
7.1
15120.414.16.17.7
1997
15721.617.93.1
5.0
14616.312.22.74.0
1998
16023.615.97.3
9.3
12313.910.72.23.5
1999
15722.615.07.3
9.1
14616.011.63.55.0
2000
15621.216.74.5
6.2
15816.212.82.23.7
2001
15921.016.34.3
6.2
15618.811.76.17.7
2002
15823.616.45.9
7.9
14719.413.15.26.9
2003
15321.517.03.1
5.0
15919.014.23.24.8
2004
13717.112.83.5
5.1
14216.012.91.83.3
2005
10916.010.55.2
6.3
595.75.7-0.6-0.1
2006
11013.112.10.3
1.5
14315.810.44.76.4
2007
13419.214.34.3
5.8
12913.39.43.24.7
2008
12815.512.22.9
4.1
14913.212.30.32.0
2009
14315.914.21.5
2.9
12410.38.11.93.1
2010
9512.19.42.5
3.6
1088.36.22.03.0
2011
12614.912.72.4
3.7
937.06.30.41.3
2012
11214.111.52.2
3.4
584.34.00.30.8
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS2,498336.2257.669.6
98.3
2,540273.9209.551.277.7


Article last updated: September 12, 2019

Wins over positional average and replacement level are calculated using data only for the 2012 season. Positional averages for starting pitching and relief pitching are calculated using single-year data for all starting pitchers and all relief pitchers.

All articles are written so that they pull data directly from the most recent version of the Player won-lost database. Hence, any numbers cited within these articles should automatically incorporate the most recent update to Player won-lost records. In some cases, however, the accompanying text may have been written based on previous versions of Player won-lost records. I apologize if this results in non-sensical text in any cases.

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