1991 Season

Baseball Player Won-Loss Records
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1991 Season

The 1991 Season as seen through the Prism of Player Won-Lost Records

This article takes a look at the 1991 season as measured by Player won-lost records.

The Best of 1991

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
1	Barry Bonds	24.7	15.6	8.3	10.1	1	Barry Bonds	24.7	15.6	8.3	10.1
2	Tom Glavine	16.8	12.0	5.8	7.4	2	Roger Clemens	16.7	11.2	5.7	7.5
3	Roger Clemens	16.7	11.2	5.7	7.5	3	Tom Glavine	16.8	12.0	5.8	7.4
4	Frank E. Thomas	18.4	12.1	5.4	7.2	4	Frank E. Thomas	18.4	12.1	5.4	7.2
5	Ryne Sandberg	22.7	17.0	5.3	7.1	5	Ryne Sandberg	22.7	17.0	5.3	7.1
6	Bret Saberhagen	13.0	8.0	5.2	6.5	6	Jose Canseco	21.4	15.7	4.9	6.7
7	Andy Van Slyke	19.0	13.4	5.1	6.6	7	Andy Van Slyke	19.0	13.4	5.1	6.6
8	Jose Canseco	21.4	15.7	4.9	6.7	8	Bret Saberhagen	13.0	8.0	5.2	6.5
9	Jose Rijo	12.7	8.6	4.8	6.0	9	Terry Pendleton	23.1	18.3	4.4	6.3
10	Lou Whitaker	18.7	14.2	4.6	6.1	10	Ron Gant	22.2	17.2	4.5	6.3

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
1	Cal Ripken	24.8	18.6	7.3	9.3	1	Cal Ripken	24.8	18.6	7.3	9.3
2	Roger Clemens	16.7	11.1	5.8	7.5	2	Barry Bonds	23.4	16.9	5.8	7.6
3	Barry Bonds	23.4	16.9	5.8	7.6	3	Roger Clemens	16.7	11.1	5.8	7.5
4	Frank E. Thomas	18.3	12.2	5.3	7.0	4	Frank E. Thomas	18.3	12.2	5.3	7.0
5	Ryne Sandberg	22.5	17.2	4.9	6.7	5	Ryne Sandberg	22.5	17.2	4.9	6.7
6	Barry Larkin	19.3	15.0	4.9	6.5	6	Barry Larkin	19.3	15.0	4.9	6.5
7	Will Clark	19.6	13.7	4.7	6.2	7	Will Clark	19.6	13.7	4.7	6.2
8	Tom Glavine	16.2	12.6	4.6	6.2	8	Tom Glavine	16.2	12.6	4.6	6.2
9	Ken Griffey Jr.	20.9	16.3	4.5	6.2	9	Ken Griffey Jr.	20.9	16.3	4.5	6.2
10	Bret Saberhagen	12.6	8.4	4.4	5.7	10	Jose Canseco	21.0	16.1	4.1	5.9

I take a look at some of the most interesting players of 1991 at the end of this article.

1991 Postseason

The 1991 postseason saw two teams go from worst to first: the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins, who ended up meeting in one of the greatest World Series of all time, with five of seven games decided by one run, one in 12 innings, one in 11 innings, and another in 10 innings, the last two being elimination games won by the Twins in Games 6 and 7 to win their second World Championship.

Player	Team	pWins	pLosses	pWORL
	1991 Postseason: Total

Jack Morris	MIN	2.3	1.5	1.2
Kirby Puckett	MIN	1.9	1.1	0.8
Chuck Knoblauch	MIN	1.8	1.1	0.8
Steve Avery	ATL	1.4	0.8	0.8
Mike Pagliarulo	MIN	1.3	0.6	0.8
John Smoltz	ATL	1.7	1.2	0.8
Alejandro Pena	ATL	1.2	0.6	0.7
Dan Gladden	MIN	2.1	1.5	0.7
Greg Olson	ATL	1.7	1.2	0.7
Rick Aguilera	MIN	0.9	0.5	0.6

Top postseason players by round were as follows.

Player	Team	pWins	pLosses	Net Wins
	1991 World Series

Jack Morris	MIN	1.5	0.8	0.7
Mark Lemke	ATL	1.0	0.5	0.5
Greg Gagne	MIN	0.8	0.4	0.4
Scott Leius	MIN	0.7	0.4	0.3
W. Mike Stanton	ATL	0.6	0.3	0.3

Player	Team	pWins	pLosses	Net Wins
	1991 Postseason: League Championship Series

Mike Pagliarulo	MIN	1.0	0.3	0.7
Steve Avery	ATL	1.0	0.5	0.6
Kirby Puckett	MIN	1.0	0.5	0.5
Chuck Knoblauch	MIN	0.8	0.3	0.5
Dan Gladden	MIN	1.0	0.6	0.5

Best of 1991 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 1991 in wins over positional average (WOPA) by factor were as follows.


Batting
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLoss	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLoss	pWOPA
1	Frank E. Thomas	16.3	10.3	6.0	1	Barry Bonds	16.5	9.4	6.8
2	Barry Bonds	15.6	10.2	5.0	2	Frank E. Thomas	16.6	10.0	6.6
3	Will Clark	15.6	10.3	4.9	3	Jose Canseco	16.3	10.3	6.0
4	Fred McGriff	16.0	10.8	4.8	4	Ron Gant	16.4	11.1	4.9
5	Jose Canseco	15.6	11.0	4.6	5	Todd Zeile	15.5	10.3	4.8
6	Cal Ripken	16.7	12.3	4.4	6	Will Clark	15.6	10.4	4.8
7	Danny Tartabull	13.3	8.9	4.3	7	Kent Hrbek	13.0	8.5	4.5
8	Howard Johnson	15.5	11.2	3.9	8	Fred McGriff	15.8	11.0	4.4
9	Bobby Bonilla	15.5	11.3	3.9	9	Ryne Sandberg	14.8	10.1	4.3
10	Rafael Palmeiro	14.4	10.9	3.5	10	Andy Van Slyke	13.4	8.9	4.3

Positional Average excludes pitcher offense


Baserunning
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLoss	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLoss	pWOPA
1	Otis Nixon	2.5	1.5	0.9	1	Milt Cuyler	1.8	0.8	1.1
2	Milt Cuyler	1.7	0.8	0.9	2	Rickey Henderson	2.7	1.6	1.0
3	Marquis Grissom	2.6	1.7	0.8	3	Chuck Knoblauch	1.9	0.9	1.0
4	Rickey Henderson	2.5	1.7	0.8	4	Marquis Grissom	2.6	1.7	0.9
5	Julio Franco	1.6	1.0	0.6	5	Otis Nixon	2.4	1.6	0.8
6	Ced Landrum	1.2	0.5	0.6	6	Ozzie Smith	2.1	1.3	0.8
7	Chuck Knoblauch	1.7	1.1	0.6	7	Kirk Gibson	1.3	0.6	0.7
8	Ozzie Smith	2.0	1.4	0.6	8	Juan Samuel	1.6	0.9	0.7
9	Shawon Dunston	1.3	0.8	0.5	9	Paul Molitor	1.8	1.2	0.6
10	Mike Felder	1.2	0.7	0.5	10	Barry Bonds	2.0	1.3	0.6

Positional Average excludes pitcher offense


Pitching
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLoss	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLoss	Net pWins
1	Roger Clemens	15.9	11.4	4.5	1	Roger Clemens	16.5	10.9	5.6
2	Nolan Ryan	10.9	7.6	3.4	2	Bret Saberhagen	12.6	7.8	4.8
3	Duane Ward	8.1	4.8	3.3	3	Tom Glavine	14.6	10.1	4.5
4	Jim A. Abbott	14.2	11.0	3.2	4	Jose Rijo	11.6	7.2	4.4
5	Bret Saberhagen	11.7	8.7	3.1	5	Scott Erickson	13.4	9.0	4.3
6	Jimmy Key	12.6	9.7	2.9	6	Bryan Harvey	8.4	4.6	3.8
7	Tom Glavine	13.7	11.0	2.7	7	Mike Henneman	7.1	3.4	3.7
8	Mike Morgan	12.2	9.6	2.5	8	Jimmy Key	13.0	9.3	3.7
9	Bryan Harvey	7.7	5.2	2.5	9	Duane Ward	8.2	4.6	3.7
10	Jack McDowell	15.0	12.5	2.5	10	Mike Morgan	12.7	9.1	3.6

Fielding by Position


Fielding, P
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Ron Darling	0.6	0.2	0.4	1	Ron Darling	0.6	0.2	0.4
2	Bret Saberhagen	0.4	0.2	0.3	2	Kirk McCaskill	0.6	0.3	0.3
3	Melido Perez	0.3	0.1	0.3	3	Mike Bielecki	0.4	0.2	0.3
4	Dennis Martinez	0.5	0.3	0.3	4	Jose Guzman	0.5	0.2	0.3
5	Bill Wegman	0.4	0.1	0.2	5	Tim Burke	0.4	0.1	0.3


Fielding, C
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Gilberto Reyes	1.6	1.0	0.6	1	Gilberto Reyes	1.6	1.1	0.6
2	Tom Pagnozzi	2.1	1.6	0.5	2	Pat Borders	1.8	1.2	0.5
3	B.J. Surhoff	2.0	1.7	0.3	3	Tom Pagnozzi	2.1	1.6	0.5
4	Brent Mayne	1.3	0.9	0.3	4	Brent Mayne	1.3	0.9	0.4
5	Pat Borders	1.6	1.3	0.3	5	Lenny Webster	0.4	0.1	0.3


Fielding, 1B
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Mark McGwire	3.6	3.0	0.7	1	Carlos Quintana	2.5	1.6	0.9
2	John Kruk	2.4	1.8	0.5	2	Eddie Murray	3.5	2.7	0.8
3	Mark Grace	4.9	4.4	0.5	3	Mark Grace	5.0	4.3	0.7
4	Eddie Murray	3.3	2.9	0.4	4	Dan Pasqua	1.3	0.7	0.7
5	Carlos Quintana	2.2	1.8	0.4	5	John Olerud	2.8	2.2	0.6


Fielding, 2B
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Ryne Sandberg	6.3	5.6	0.7	1	Jody Reed	6.6	5.1	1.5
2	Jose Oquendo	4.5	3.8	0.7	2	Roberto Alomar	7.6	6.4	1.2
3	Luis Sojo	4.5	3.9	0.6	3	Jose Oquendo	4.7	3.5	1.2
4	Roberto Alomar	7.3	6.7	0.6	4	Mark Lemke	3.3	2.2	1.1
5	Mike Gallego	4.8	4.4	0.4	5	Lou Whitaker	5.0	4.3	0.7


Fielding, 3B
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Terry Pendleton	7.0	5.7	1.2	1	Mike Pagliarulo	4.8	2.7	2.1
2	Mike Pagliarulo	4.2	3.3	1.0	2	Edgar Martinez	5.9	4.8	1.1
3	Edgar Martinez	5.8	4.9	0.9	3	Jack Howell	2.8	1.7	1.1
4	Ken Caminiti	5.7	4.9	0.7	4	Terry Pendleton	6.8	5.8	1.0
5	Chris Donnels	1.0	0.4	0.7	5	Steve Buechele	5.8	5.1	0.7


Fielding, SS
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Greg Gagne	5.2	4.2	1.0	1	Greg Gagne	5.5	3.9	1.6
2	Rafael Belliard	5.6	4.6	0.9	2	Rafael Belliard	5.7	4.6	1.1
3	Spike Owen	5.8	4.9	0.9	3	Ozzie Smith	6.2	5.1	1.1
4	Cal Ripken	6.9	6.0	0.8	4	Spike Owen	5.9	4.9	1.0
5	Alvaro Espinoza	5.7	4.9	0.8	5	Tony Fernandez	7.0	6.0	1.0


Fielding, LF
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Joe Orsulak	3.9	3.0	0.9	1	Juan Gonzalez	2.8	1.5	1.3
2	Luis 'Gonzo' Gonzalez	5.0	4.2	0.8	2	Greg Vaughn	4.9	3.7	1.2
3	Tim Raines Sr.	5.1	4.4	0.7	3	Barry Bonds	6.0	4.8	1.2
4	Barry Bonds	5.8	5.1	0.6	4	Willie Wilson	1.8	0.9	0.9
5	Greg Vaughn	4.6	4.0	0.5	5	Luis 'Gonzo' Gonzalez	5.0	4.2	0.9


Fielding, CF
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Lance Johnson	4.9	4.0	0.9	1	Darrin Jackson	3.1	2.0	1.1
2	Ken Griffey Jr.	5.6	4.9	0.7	2	Milt Cuyler	5.0	4.1	0.9
3	Mike Devereaux	5.4	4.7	0.7	3	Devon White	5.1	4.2	0.9
4	Steve Finley	4.7	4.0	0.6	4	Andy Van Slyke	4.5	3.6	0.9
5	Devon White	4.9	4.4	0.6	5	Steve Finley	4.7	4.0	0.8


Fielding, RF
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	Net eWins		Player	pWins	pLosses	Net pWins
1	Sammy Sosa	2.9	1.7	1.2	1	Sammy Sosa	3.0	1.6	1.4
2	Tony Gwynn Sr.	4.9	4.1	0.8	2	Tony Gwynn Sr.	5.2	3.9	1.3
3	Mark Whiten	3.5	2.7	0.8	3	Steve Finley	1.8	0.9	0.9
4	Jesse Barfield	2.5	2.0	0.6	4	Paul O'Neill	4.5	3.8	0.8
5	Joe Carter	3.0	2.4	0.5	5	Mark Whiten	3.5	2.8	0.7

Best by Position

Next, we look at 1991 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
1	Mickey Tettleton	12.2	10.0	3.0	1	Brian Harper	12.4	10.8	2.5
2	Matt Nokes	12.4	10.8	2.6	2	Matt Nokes	12.3	10.9	2.3
3	Craig Biggio	14.2	13.1	1.9	3	Mickey Tettleton	11.8	10.4	2.2
4	Mike Macfarlane	6.8	5.8	1.5	4	Mike Scioscia	10.0	8.4	2.1
5	Hector Villanueva	4.6	3.3	1.4	5	Don Slaught	6.6	5.1	1.8


First Base
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Will Clark	19.4	13.8	4.3	1	Will Clark	19.3	13.9	4.2
2	Fred McGriff	19.9	15.7	2.7	2	Kent Hrbek	15.6	10.9	3.9
3	John Kruk	12.2	8.7	2.7	3	Orlando Merced	12.7	9.2	2.6
4	Wally Joyner	17.5	14.0	2.6	4	Cecil Fielder	14.8	11.6	2.5
5	Rafael Palmeiro	17.7	14.4	2.4	5	John Kruk	12.1	8.8	2.4


Second Base
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Ryne Sandberg	22.1	17.4	4.4	1	Ryne Sandberg	22.6	17.0	5.3
2	Lou Whitaker	17.2	13.9	3.3	2	Lou Whitaker	17.5	13.5	4.0
3	Julio Franco	19.8	17.6	2.3	3	Willie Randolph	15.5	13.1	2.4
4	Roberto Alomar	23.4	21.2	2.2	4	Roberto Alomar	23.4	21.2	2.2
5	Robby Thompson	19.6	17.2	2.0	5	Jody Reed	20.3	18.5	1.9


Third Base
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Terry Pendleton	22.6	18.5	3.6	1	Terry Pendleton	23.0	18.1	4.5
2	Matt D. Williams	21.4	17.5	3.5	2	Todd Zeile	22.5	18.3	3.8
3	Edgar Martinez	19.9	16.5	3.4	3	Wade Boggs	19.3	15.6	3.7
4	Chris Sabo	21.4	18.3	2.6	4	Edgar Martinez	20.1	16.4	3.7
5	Wade Boggs	18.7	16.2	2.5	5	Steve Buechele	17.1	14.6	2.4


Shortstop
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Cal Ripken	24.5	18.9	6.7	1	Barry Larkin	19.0	15.3	4.3
2	Barry Larkin	19.2	15.1	4.6	2	Cal Ripken	23.2	20.2	4.1
3	Ozzie Smith	20.3	18.0	2.9	3	Ozzie Smith	20.7	17.6	3.7
4	Travis Fryman	9.2	7.8	1.8	4	Jay Bell	21.5	18.8	3.3
5	Alan Trammell	12.4	11.7	1.4	5	Tony Fernandez	20.1	17.9	2.9


Left Field
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Barry Bonds	22.8	17.0	5.0	1	Barry Bonds	24.3	17.0	8.1
2	Rickey Henderson	18.5	14.6	3.5	2	Rickey Henderson	18.8	14.6	4.1
3	Kevin Mitchell	13.3	10.8	2.0	3	Greg Vaughn	17.5	14.6	3.4
4	Roberto Kelly	7.8	6.1	1.5	4	Juan Gonzalez	8.0	6.4	2.7
5	Greg Vaughn	16.5	14.6	1.5	5	Mel Hall	10.1	7.9	2.6


Center Field
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Ken Griffey Jr.	20.6	16.1	4.3	1	Andy Van Slyke	19.0	13.3	5.2
2	Andy Van Slyke	17.8	14.5	2.9	2	Ron Gant	22.1	17.0	4.6
3	Dave Henderson	18.9	16.0	2.8	3	Ken Griffey Jr.	20.4	16.3	4.0
4	Ron Gant	20.8	18.2	2.1	4	Dave Henderson	19.2	15.6	3.5
5	Darrin Jackson	9.7	8.0	1.4	5	Kirby Puckett	18.9	16.4	2.4


Right Field
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Danny Tartabull	16.9	12.8	3.5	1	Shane Mack	10.1	5.6	4.3
2	Jose Canseco	17.6	14.2	2.8	2	Jose Canseco	18.1	13.8	3.7
3	Darryl Strawberry	18.5	14.8	2.5	3	Ruben Sierra	21.1	16.8	3.4
4	Shane Mack	9.2	6.5	2.4	4	Darryl Strawberry	18.8	14.4	3.3
5	Ruben Sierra	20.5	17.3	2.3	5	David Justice	15.4	11.5	3.1


Starting Pitcher
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Roger Clemens	16.1	11.7	4.6	1	Roger Clemens	16.7	11.2	5.7
2	Bret Saberhagen	12.2	8.8	3.5	2	Bret Saberhagen	13.0	8.0	5.2
3	Nolan Ryan	11.0	7.7	3.5	3	Tom Glavine	15.1	10.3	4.9
4	Jim A. Abbott	14.7	11.7	3.2	4	Jose Rijo	11.8	7.4	4.6
5	Tom Glavine	14.2	11.2	3.1	5	Scott Erickson	13.7	9.4	4.4
6	Jimmy Key	13.3	10.4	3.0	6	Jimmy Key	13.7	10.1	3.8
7	Jack McDowell	15.3	12.8	2.7	7	Jim A. Abbott	14.9	11.4	3.6
8	Mike Morgan	12.4	9.8	2.7	8	Mike Morgan	12.8	9.3	3.6
9	Jose Rijo	10.9	8.3	2.7	9	Steve Avery	13.8	10.4	3.5
10	David Cone	14.2	11.8	2.5	10	Jack McDowell	15.6	12.4	3.4


Relief Pitcher
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Duane Ward	8.2	5.0	3.0	1	Mike Henneman	7.2	3.6	3.4
2	Rob Dibble	7.3	4.9	2.2	2	Bryan Harvey	8.5	4.9	3.4
3	Bryan Harvey	7.8	5.6	2.0	3	Duane Ward	8.4	4.9	3.3
4	Todd Frohwirth	5.2	3.3	1.8	4	Bill C. Swift	6.3	3.3	2.9
5	Tom Henke	4.3	2.6	1.6	5	Lee Smith	8.5	5.3	2.9
6	Bill C. Swift	5.6	4.0	1.5	6	Mitch Williams	9.0	5.9	2.8
7	Mark Eichhorn	4.0	2.4	1.4	7	Rick Aguilera	6.7	3.8	2.8
8	John Habyan	4.6	3.1	1.4	8	Jeff Montgomery	8.0	5.0	2.7
9	Rick Aguilera	6.0	4.5	1.3	9	Rob Dibble	7.6	4.7	2.7
10	Steve Farr	5.7	4.3	1.3	10	Tom Henke	4.7	2.3	2.3


Designated Hitter
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Frank E. Thomas	11.3	7.0	3.7	1	Frank E. Thomas	11.2	7.1	3.5
2	Chili Davis	15.2	12.4	1.8	2	Paul Molitor	12.3	9.2	2.5
3	Paul Molitor	12.0	9.5	1.7	3	Chili Davis	15.3	12.3	2.1

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
1	Tommy Greene	1.2	1.2	0.6	1	Tom Glavine	1.6	1.6	0.8
2	Tom Glavine	1.4	1.9	0.5	2	Greg Maddux	1.7	1.7	0.8
3	Orel Hershiser	0.7	0.6	0.5	3	Trevor Wilson	1.3	1.2	0.7


Pinch Hitter
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Warren Newson	1.9	0.9	1.1	1	Warren Newson	1.8	0.9	1.0
2	Milt Thompson	1.4	0.8	0.6	2	Warren Cromartie	1.5	0.9	0.7
3	Eddie Murray	0.7	0.1	0.6	3	Milt Thompson	1.4	0.8	0.7


Pinch Runner
		Context-Neutral					Context-Dependent
	Player	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA		Player	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA
1	Keith A. Miller	0.4	0.1	0.3	1	Milt Cuyler	0.3	0.0	0.3
2	Ced Landrum	0.5	0.2	0.2	2	Keith A. Miller	0.4	0.1	0.2
3	Milt Cuyler	0.3	0.1	0.2	3	Tom Goodwin	0.3	0.1	0.2

Noteworthy Players of 1991

NL MVP Race

The vote for National League MVP in 1991 was extremely close. Atlanta Braves third baseman Terry Pendleton edged out Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Barry Bonds by two first-place votes (12-10) and 15 total points (274-259). Player won-lost records suggest that the voters probably got this one wrong. Moreover, per Player won-lost records, the second-best non-pitcher in the National League was probably not Terry Pendleton, but rather Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who, based on Player won-lost records, was unfairly ignored by MVP voters (finishing a distant 17th in voting). The next table compares the 1991 seasons of Bonds, Pendleton, and Sandberg.

	Games	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA	pWORL	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA	eWORL
Barry Bonds	153	24.7	15.6	8.3	10.1	23.4	16.9	5.8	7.6
Terry Pendleton	153	23.1	18.3	4.4	6.3	22.9	18.5	4.0	5.8
Ryne Sandberg	158	22.7	17.0	5.3	7.1	22.5	17.2	4.9	6.7

Looking at the three of them in a context-neutral setting, their performances were fairly similar in value with Bonds's superior offense being at least somewhat offset by Pendleton and Sandberg playing more valuable positions (with all three fielding their positions very well). The decomposition of eWins over replacement level for the three of them is shown in the next table.

	Decomposition of eWORL
	Wins over Average
	Batting	Baserunning	Fielding	Position	Replacement	eWORL
Barry Bonds	5.0	-0.0	0.7	0.0	1.8	7.6
Terry Pendleton	2.0	0.3	1.2	0.4	1.9	5.8
Ryne Sandberg	3.3	0.4	0.7	0.5	1.8	6.7

Within context, shifting to pWins, Barry Bonds takes an even more clear and decisive lead over both Pendleton and Sandberg in pWins over either positional average or replacement level. Barry Bonds had an excellent season overall, batting .292/.410/.514, an OPS of .924. Breaking his batting down by leverage, however, shows why his performance looks so much better in context: in high/medium/low leverage situations Bonds's OPS's in 1991 were 1.086/.927/.825, respectively. In contrast, Pendleton and Sandberg performed about the same across all situations, regardless of the context.

Top NL Pitcher: Tom Glavine

According to Player won-lost records, the NL Cy Young voters got their vote right in 1991. The 1991 season saw Tom Glavine double his number of traditional pitcher wins, from 10 to 20, while lowering his ERA by more than 1.7 runs per 9 innings, from 4.28 to 2.55. It was the first of many great seasons of what would become a Hall-of-Fame career.

Tom Glavine's career record, as measured by Player won-lost records, is presented in the next table.

Season	Team	Age	Games	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA	pWORL	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA	eWORL
Tom Glavine Basic Player Won-Lost Records
										Value Decomposition
1987	ATL	21	9	3.3	3.7	-0.2	0.2	3.1	3.8	-0.4	-0.0
1988	ATL	22	42	11.3	15.0	-2.9	-1.4	12.7	13.6	0.0	1.5
1989	ATL	23	30	11.7	11.2	1.3	2.6	11.2	11.6	0.4	1.8
1990	ATL	24	34	11.8	13.3	-0.5	0.9	12.1	13.0	0.2	1.6
1991	ATL	25	36	16.8	12.0	5.8	7.4	16.2	12.6	4.6	6.2
1992	ATL	26	35	15.4	11.7	4.5	6.2	14.6	12.6	3.1	4.7
1993	ATL	27	36	16.5	12.5	4.8	6.5	14.4	14.5	1.2	2.8
1994	ATL	28	26	10.8	9.9	1.6	2.9	10.2	10.4	0.6	1.9
1995	ATL	29	29	13.9	9.5	5.0	6.5	13.1	10.2	3.7	5.1
1996	ATL	30	39	16.0	12.0	4.9	6.6	15.7	12.3	4.4	6.1
1997	ATL	31	33	14.3	12.5	2.6	4.2	14.5	12.3	3.2	4.9
1998	ATL	32	33	15.1	10.7	5.3	6.9	14.4	11.4	4.0	5.7
1999	ATL	33	36	14.2	13.6	1.5	3.1	14.5	13.3	2.3	3.9
2000	ATL	34	37	14.7	11.6	4.2	5.8	14.0	12.3	2.8	4.3
2001	ATL	35	35	13.2	12.0	2.1	3.6	12.6	12.6	1.0	2.6
2002	ATL	36	37	15.4	12.9	3.7	5.5	14.3	14.0	1.7	3.5
2003	NYN	37	33	11.2	12.7	-0.5	0.9	11.9	12.0	0.8	2.3
2004	NYN	38	35	12.4	11.9	1.4	2.8	12.7	11.6	2.1	3.5
2005	NYN	39	33	13.0	13.0	0.7	2.3	13.7	12.3	2.2	3.8
2006	NYN	40	32	12.4	10.9	2.3	3.7	11.5	11.9	0.4	1.8
2007	NYN	41	35	11.3	11.9	0.3	1.8	11.4	11.9	0.5	1.9
2008	ATL	42	14	3.1	5.2	-1.9	-1.3	3.6	4.7	-0.8	-0.3
------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------
CAREER (reg. season)			709	277.8	249.8	46.0	77.6	272.6	254.9	38.0	69.7
			------	------	------			------	------
PostSeason (career)			36	14.4	14.8		2.3	14.8	14.3		3.2
			------	------	------		------	------	------		------
COMBINED			745	292.1	264.6		79.9	287.5	269.3		72.9

AL MVP: Cal Ripken

The top player in major-league baseball in 1991, as measured by eWins over either positional average or replacement level, won the 1991 AL MVP award, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken.

This was Ripken's second MVP award, his first coming eight years earlier. Ironically, Ripken's best season, as measured by Player won-lost records, was a season in which he finished 27th in MVP voting, 1984.

The next table compares Ripken's 1983, 1984, and 1991 seasons, as measured by Player won-lost records.

	Games	pWins	pLosses	pWin Pct.	pWOPA	pWORL	eWins	eLosses	eWin Pct.	eWOPA	eWORL
1983	162	24.8	19.4	0.561	6.5	8.4	24.2	20.1	0.546	5.2	7.2
1984	162	25.9	19.4	0.573	8.4	10.5	25.5	19.8	0.563	7.5	9.6
1991	162	23.2	20.2	0.534	4.1	6.1	24.8	18.6	0.572	7.3	9.3

Notable Debuts

The list of players who made their major-league debut in 1991 is quite impressive. An All-Star team of players who made their major-league debut in 1991 is shown next.

All-Star Team of Players Whose Debut Season was 1991

		Games	pWins	pLosses	pWOPA	pWORL	eWins	eLosses	eWOPA	eWORL
Catcher	Ivan Rodriguez	2,543	233.5	233.6	15.8	38.5	237.0	230.1	22.8	45.4
First Base	Jeff Bagwell	2,150	276.5	202.4	50.2	73.6	275.1	203.8	46.9	70.3
Second Base	Chuck Knoblauch	1,632	207.2	196.9	14.6	34.4	207.2	197.0	14.4	34.2
Third Base	Vinny Castilla	1,853	199.7	195.3	0.2	19.5	199.0	196.0	-1.2	18.1
Shortstop	Royce Clayton	2,107	215.2	240.2	-15.3	6.8	218.3	237.1	-8.6	13.5
Outfielder	Kenny Lofton	2,103	269.6	240.4	27.0	51.8	263.8	246.2	15.9	40.6
Outfielder	Bernie Williams	2,076	262.2	234.8	26.3	51.0	258.9	238.0	19.8	44.4
Outfielder	Reggie L. Sanders	1,776	226.8	191.1	23.1	43.7	223.2	194.7	15.7	36.3
DH	Jim Thome	2,540	273.9	209.5	51.2	77.7	274.8	208.6	52.7	79.2
Starting Pitcher	Mike Mussina	537	223.1	174.0	52.1	78.6	222.1	175.0	50.2	76.8
Relief Pitcher	Roberto M. Hernandez	1,010	87.1	67.7	17.9	33.7	82.7	72.1	9.6	25.4

Last Hurrahs

The 1991 season was not the final season for any players who have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame yet. It was, however, the final season for two players who were elected to Baseball Think Factory's Hall of Merit, Dwight Evans and Rick Reuschel.

The final table of this article compares the career records of Dwight Evans and Rick Reuschel, as measured by Player won-lost records.

Season	Games	pWins	pLoss	pWOPA	pWORL	Games	pWins	pLoss	pWOPA	pWORL
	Dwight Evans					Rick Reuschel
1972	18	2.3	2.0	0.2	0.4	21	8.0	6.8	1.6	2.5
1973	119	10.1	8.9	0.9	1.9	36	16.5	15.4	1.8	3.6
1974	133	17.7	13.7	3.4	4.9	41	15.8	16.2	0.3	2.0
1975	126	15.1	13.1	1.4	2.7	38	14.6	16.5	-0.9	0.8
1976	146	19.0	15.3	3.1	4.8	38	15.2	13.6	2.3	3.8
1977	73	7.8	6.9	0.6	1.3	41	17.9	12.9	6.1	7.9
1978	147	17.9	14.8	2.2	3.7	35	14.8	14.3	1.3	2.9
1979	152	17.2	15.6	0.6	2.2	38	16.4	14.9	2.4	4.2
1980	147	16.2	14.8	0.8	2.3	44	13.5	13.6	0.7	2.2
1981	108	19.0	12.2	6.3	8.0	28	8.1	8.8	-0.3	0.8
1982	162	24.2	19.0	4.5	6.4
1983	126	15.0	13.2	1.5	2.9	4	1.4	1.2	0.3	0.5
1984	162	25.9	19.6	5.0	7.1	20	4.6	5.4	-0.5	0.1
1985	159	23.2	19.0	3.6	5.6	31	11.5	8.1	4.0	5.1
1986	152	21.2	15.7	4.8	6.5	43	12.2	14.8	-1.6	-0.1
1987	154	19.2	15.1	2.9	4.5	34	14.4	11.7	3.8	5.3
1988	149	20.2	17.9	1.3	3.1	36	14.5	13.5	2.1	3.7
1989	146	17.2	15.4	1.5	3.2	32	13.0	11.8	2.2	3.7
1990	122	13.0	10.6	2.3	3.7	15	5.4	6.1	-0.3	0.4
1991	101	8.7	8.9	-0.5	0.4	4	0.4	1.1	-0.7	-0.6
------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------	------
CAREER RECORDS	2,602	330.1	271.9	46.3	75.5	579	218.2	206.7	24.8	48.8

Article last updated: December 22, 2019

Wins over positional average and replacement level are calculated using data only for the 1991 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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