Baseball Player Won-Loss Records
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2002 Season

The 2002 Season as seen through the Prism of Player Won-Lost Records

Next in my continuing series of looking at individual sesons through the prism of Player won-lost records is the 2002 season.

The Best of 2002

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
1Barry Bonds24.512.611.1
13.0
1Barry Bonds24.512.611.1
13.0
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson19.010.59.6
11.5
2Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson19.010.59.6
11.5
3Miguel Tejada26.519.08.4
10.8
3Miguel Tejada26.519.08.4
10.8
4Pedro J. Martinez14.87.57.6
9.2
4Pedro J. Martinez14.87.57.6
9.2
5Jeff Kent23.917.36.9
9.0
5Jeff Kent23.917.36.9
9.0
6Jason Giambi20.312.56.8
8.7
6Vladimir Guerrero Sr.26.318.26.6
8.9
7Vladimir Guerrero Sr.26.318.26.6
8.9
7Jason Giambi20.312.56.8
8.7
8Curt Schilling18.113.16.5
8.4
8Curt Schilling18.113.16.5
8.4
9John Smoltz10.34.06.0
7.6
9Chipper Jones23.616.45.9
7.9
10Chipper Jones23.616.45.9
7.9
10Barry Zito16.110.65.8
7.7


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
1Barry Bonds24.312.810.6
12.5
1Barry Bonds24.312.810.6
12.5
2Curt Schilling18.013.16.3
8.2
2Alex Rodriguez22.917.36.2
8.3
3Alex Rodriguez22.917.36.2
8.3
3Curt Schilling18.013.16.3
8.2
4Pedro J. Martinez14.18.36.2
7.7
4Jim Thome19.912.56.1
7.9
5Jim Thome19.912.56.1
7.9
5Pedro J. Martinez14.18.36.2
7.7
6Derek Lowe13.68.35.6
7.2
6Roy Halladay15.410.35.5
7.3
7Roy Halladay15.410.35.5
7.3
7Vladimir Guerrero Sr.25.619.05.0
7.3
8Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson16.712.85.3
7.2
8Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson16.712.85.3
7.2
9Jim Edmonds19.614.05.2
7.0
9Derek Lowe13.68.35.6
7.2
10Vladimir Guerrero Sr.25.619.05.0
7.3
10Jeff Kent22.918.24.9
7.1


I take a look at some of the most interesting players of 2002 at the end of this article.

2002 Postseason

The 2002 postseason ended with the Anaheim Angels winning the first World Series in their franchise history, just preventing the San Francisco Giants from winning their first World Series since moving to San Francisco.

The best players in the 2002 postseason, as measured by Player won-lost records, are shown in the next table.

2002 Postseason: Total
Player Team pWins pLosses pWORL
Troy GlausANA2.41.31.3
Rich AuriliaSFN2.81.91.2
Scott SpiezioANA2.21.21.1
Robb NenSFN1.50.71.0
John LackeyANA1.40.80.9
David BellSFN2.01.30.9
Tim SalmonANA2.51.80.9
J.T. SnowSFN2.21.30.8
Jason SchmidtSFN1.91.30.8
Adam KennedyANA1.81.20.8


Top postseason players by round were as follows.

2002 World Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Troy GlausANA1.10.60.5
Jason SchmidtSFN1.00.60.4
Tim SalmonANA1.30.90.4
J.T. SnowSFN0.90.60.3
Scott SpiezioANA0.90.50.3

2002 Postseason: League Championship Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Rich AuriliaSFN1.10.50.7
Kenny LoftonCHA1.00.50.5
Barry BondsSFN1.00.40.5
John LackeyANA0.50.10.5
Scott SpiezioANA0.80.30.5

2002 Postseason: Division Series
Player Team pWins pLosses Net Wins
Vinny CastillaATL1.10.40.7
J.T. SnowSFN0.90.30.6
Troy GlausANA0.70.20.5
Garret AndersonANA0.80.30.5
A.J. PierzynskiMIN0.80.30.5


Best of 2002 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 2002 in wins over positional average (WOPA) by factor were as follows.

Batting
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Barry Bonds17.67.5
9.9
1Barry Bonds18.07.010.8
2Jim Thome16.89.5
7.4
2Jason Giambi18.210.08.2
3Jason Giambi17.111.2
5.9
3Jim Thome16.79.67.1
4Brian S. Giles15.79.7
5.6
4Jeff Kent17.611.26.0
5Manny Ramirez14.38.8
5.5
5Gary Sheffield14.98.85.8
6Vladimir Guerrero Sr.16.911.3
5.2
6Shawn Green16.510.65.5
7Sammy Sosa15.19.8
5.0
7Chipper Jones16.410.55.4
8Alex Rodriguez15.610.9
4.7
8Miguel Tejada17.612.25.4
9Lance Berkman15.910.9
4.6
9Vladimir Guerrero Sr.17.011.25.3
10Ryan Klesko14.69.9
4.4
10Lance Berkman16.310.65.3
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Baserunning
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss eWOPA Player pWins pLoss pWOPA
1Luis A. Castillo2.61.7
0.8
1Luis A. Castillo2.81.41.3
2Dave R. Roberts1.81.0
0.7
2Rafael Furcal2.11.20.9
3Johnny Damon1.81.0
0.7
3Tony Womack2.01.00.9
4Preston Wilson1.60.9
0.7
4Dave R. Roberts1.81.00.8
5Ray Durham1.50.9
0.6
5Darin Erstad1.40.70.7
6Darin Erstad1.40.7
0.6
6Juan Pierre2.21.40.7
7Jerry Hairston Jr.1.00.5
0.5
7David Eckstein1.91.20.7
8Juan Pierre2.11.5
0.5
8Ray Durham1.50.90.6
9Tom Goodwin1.00.4
0.5
9Jerry Hairston Jr.1.10.50.6
10Andy Fox1.71.2
0.5
10Derek Jeter1.40.90.6
Positional Average excludes pitcher offense
Pitching
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLoss Net eWins Player pWins pLoss Net pWins
1Pedro J. Martinez13.48.5
5.0
1Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson18.18.79.4
2Curt Schilling16.211.3
4.8
2Pedro J. Martinez14.77.27.5
3Derek Lowe12.98.3
4.6
3John Smoltz10.13.86.3
4Roy Halladay14.510.2
4.3
4Curt Schilling16.810.76.2
5Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson15.411.4
4.0
5Barry Zito15.89.95.9
6Roy Oswalt14.110.5
3.6
6Eric Gagne9.13.45.7
7John Smoltz8.75.2
3.5
7Roy Halladay15.19.55.6
8Kevin Millwood12.89.8
3.0
8Jarrod Washburn13.48.44.9
9Eric Gagne7.74.8
2.9
9Robb Nen8.13.44.7
10Octavio Dotel6.73.8
2.8
10Billy Koch10.35.74.6


Fielding by Position


Fielding, P
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Livan Hernandez1.00.3
0.7
1Livan Hernandez0.90.40.5
2Jose Mesa0.40.1
0.3
2Mike Bacsik Jr.0.40.10.4
3Kirk Rueter0.40.1
0.3
3Jose Mesa0.40.10.3
4Tim Spooneybarger0.30.1
0.3
4Kirk Rueter0.40.10.3
5Tony Armas Jr.0.40.1
0.3
5Tom Glavine0.50.20.3


Fielding, C
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Mike Matheny1.50.9
0.6
1Mike Matheny1.40.90.5
2Mike Redmond1.10.7
0.4
2Corky Miller0.70.30.4
3Corky Miller0.60.3
0.3
3Bengie Molina1.30.90.4
4Brad Ausmus1.61.2
0.3
4Michael Barrett1.61.30.4
5Brian Schneider0.90.6
0.2
5Brian Schneider0.90.50.4


Fielding, 1B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Tino Martinez2.72.0
0.7
1Tino Martinez2.81.90.9
2Steve Cox2.31.6
0.7
2Scott Hatteberg1.91.00.9
3Todd Helton3.62.9
0.7
3Scott Spiezio2.11.30.8
4Scott Spiezio1.91.4
0.5
4Julio Franco1.71.00.7
5Scott Hatteberg1.71.3
0.4
5Doug Mientkiewicz2.11.50.5


Fielding, 2B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Adam Kennedy5.34.4
0.9
1Adam Kennedy5.44.31.2
2Todd Walker5.85.1
0.7
2Pokey Reese5.34.31.0
3Pokey Reese5.14.5
0.6
3Fernando Vina5.64.80.8
4Jerry Hairston Jr.4.23.8
0.4
4Alfonso Soriano6.05.20.8
5Alfonso Soriano5.85.4
0.4
5Keith Lockhart3.22.50.7


Fielding, 3B
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Placido Polanco4.03.1
0.9
1Adrian Beltre5.23.22.0
2Scott Rolen5.14.2
0.9
2Eric Chavez5.53.71.8
3Robin Ventura4.63.9
0.7
3Placido Polanco4.23.01.1
4Edgardo Alfonzo4.43.8
0.6
4Robin Ventura4.73.81.0
5Craig Counsell2.62.0
0.6
5Aaron Boone4.93.90.9


Fielding, SS
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Juan Uribe6.85.8
1.0
1Miguel Tejada7.96.02.0
2Mike Bordick5.14.0
1.0
2Rafael Furcal7.35.81.4
3Jack Wilson6.25.2
1.0
3Cesar Izturis4.13.20.9
4Rey Ordonez5.54.7
0.8
4Jack Wilson6.15.30.8
5Rich Aurilia4.74.1
0.6
5Rey Ordonez5.54.70.8


Fielding, LF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Jacque Jones6.25.4
0.8
1Jacque Jones6.74.91.8
2Chipper Jones5.85.1
0.7
2Adam Dunn4.93.71.2
3Desi Relaford1.20.5
0.7
3Chipper Jones5.94.91.0
4Garret Anderson5.54.8
0.6
4Barry Bonds5.44.40.9
5Geoff Jenkins2.82.2
0.6
5Brian Jordan4.73.80.9


Fielding, CF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Terrence Long6.65.7
1.0
1Darin Erstad7.04.32.7
2Jim Edmonds5.44.5
0.9
2Steve Finley4.63.21.4
3Tsuyoshi Shinjo4.33.5
0.8
3Jim Edmonds5.64.31.4
4Mike Cameron5.24.6
0.7
4Mike Cameron5.44.41.1
5Aaron Rowand2.62.0
0.6
5Aaron Rowand2.81.81.0


Fielding, RF
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses Net eWins Player pWins pLosses Net pWins
1Robert Fick7.66.4
1.2
1Vladimir Guerrero Sr.7.75.62.1
2Reggie L. Sanders6.45.2
1.2
2Austin Kearns4.42.61.8
3Austin Kearns4.13.0
1.1
3Reggie L. Sanders6.55.11.4
4Alex Ochoa2.82.0
0.8
4Gary Matthews Jr.3.42.01.4
5Gary Matthews Jr.3.12.3
0.8
5Eli Marrero2.31.11.2


Best by Position
Next, we look at 2002 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
1Jorge Posada15.013.5
2.9
1Jorge Posada16.312.25.4
2Mike Piazza13.411.9
2.4
2Benito Santiago12.812.01.8
3Ivan Rodriguez9.78.2
2.4
3Mike Redmond6.75.51.6
4Mike Lieberthal11.911.0
1.8
4Brian Schneider5.74.41.6
5Michael Barrett9.68.8
1.5
5A.J. Pierzynski10.09.51.5


First Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jim Thome17.811.4
5.4
1Jason Giambi13.77.75.2
2Jason Giambi12.88.5
3.4
2Jim Thome17.511.74.7
3Todd Helton19.514.4
3.3
3John Olerud18.613.53.7
4Carlos Delgado17.413.4
2.7
4Erubiel Durazo8.44.73.0
5Mike Sweeney12.79.2
2.6
5Jeff Bagwell19.614.82.8


Second Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jeff Kent21.917.8
4.5
1Jeff Kent23.316.57.1
2Alfonso Soriano22.219.5
3.6
2Alfonso Soriano22.619.14.3
3Jose Vidro20.618.6
2.4
3Junior Spivey19.015.14.3
4Mark Bellhorn8.76.9
2.0
4Bret Boone21.217.94.1
5Adam Kennedy14.513.1
2.0
5Jose Vidro20.918.42.8


Third Base
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Scott Rolen21.718.1
3.4
1Eric Chavez20.115.15.2
2Edgardo Alfonzo16.213.1
2.9
2Troy Glaus19.614.75.1
3Robin Ventura15.913.4
2.7
3Robin Ventura16.812.44.5
4Troy Glaus18.316.0
2.4
4Scott Rolen22.317.64.4
5Eric Chavez18.516.7
2.0
5Corey Koskie18.014.14.0


Shortstop
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Alex Rodriguez22.517.5
5.7
1Miguel Tejada26.519.08.4
2Nomar Garciaparra21.619.2
3.3
2Alex Rodriguez21.718.24.4
3Miguel Tejada23.821.7
3.1
3Nomar Garciaparra22.118.74.3
4Jose Hernandez18.716.4
2.7
4Edgar Renteria20.617.33.7
5Derek Jeter19.318.2
1.9
5Derek Jeter19.917.53.2


Left Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Barry Bonds23.112.8
9.3
1Barry Bonds24.012.811.3
2Chipper Jones22.517.2
3.8
2Chipper Jones23.617.26.2
3Brian S. Giles22.117.4
3.5
3Jacque Jones20.716.54.9
4Pat Burrell21.717.6
2.6
4Albert Pujols16.112.33.5
5Albert Pujols15.512.3
2.2
5Pat Burrell21.917.63.1


Center Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Jim Edmonds19.014.3
4.3
1Steve Finley19.313.55.3
2Andruw Jones21.617.9
3.1
2Jim Edmonds19.413.95.0
3Lance Berkman16.212.9
2.9
3Darin Erstad20.616.93.5
4Bernie Williams20.217.3
2.8
4Andruw Jones21.717.93.2
5Steve Finley17.815.0
2.3
5Lance Berkman16.312.83.1


Right Field
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Vladimir Guerrero Sr.25.419.2
4.6
1Vladimir Guerrero Sr.26.318.26.6
2Bobby Abreu19.715.3
3.1
2Gary Sheffield19.813.94.7
3Sammy Sosa22.718.4
3.0
3Shawn Green24.018.14.4
4Shawn Green22.919.1
2.2
4Larry Walker18.213.73.4
5Magglio Ordonez21.618.4
2.1
5Bobby Abreu19.415.52.6


Starting Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Curt Schilling16.411.4
5.2
1Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson18.38.99.7
2Pedro J. Martinez13.58.6
5.1
2Pedro J. Martinez14.87.47.7
3Derek Lowe13.18.7
4.6
3Curt Schilling17.010.86.4
4Roy Halladay15.010.6
4.6
4Barry Zito16.110.55.9
5Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson15.611.6
4.2
5Roy Halladay15.610.05.8
6Roy Oswalt14.410.9
3.7
6Jarrod Washburn13.58.75.0
7Kevin Millwood12.89.8
3.1
7Greg Maddux12.98.84.3
8Tim Hudson13.510.9
2.8
8Derek Lowe12.98.94.2
9Bartolo Colon14.411.8
2.8
9David Wells13.09.24.0
10A.J. Burnett12.910.3
2.8
10Kevin Millwood13.29.44.0


Relief Pitcher
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1John Smoltz8.95.4
3.2
1John Smoltz10.34.06.0
2Octavio Dotel6.73.9
2.7
2Eric Gagne9.23.55.4
3Eric Gagne7.85.0
2.6
3Billy Koch10.65.74.5
4Arthur Rhodes5.63.0
2.5
4Robb Nen8.23.44.5
5Jason Isringhausen5.73.3
2.2
5Troy Percival7.13.43.5
6Robb Nen6.94.7
2.1
6Armando Benitez7.03.33.5
7Chris Hammond4.82.8
1.8
7Mike Williams7.94.53.1
8Byung-Hyun Kim7.55.5
1.8
8Jason Isringhausen6.22.93.1
9Billy Wagner5.63.7
1.7
9Arthur Rhodes5.92.73.1
10Mike Remlinger5.13.3
1.7
10J.C. Romero6.63.53.0


Designated Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Ellis Burks12.49.8
2.2
1Edgar Martinez8.96.42.2
2Manny Ramirez6.13.9
2.0
2Ellis Burks12.39.92.0
3Edgar Martinez8.66.7
1.6
3Jason Giambi6.74.81.6


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
1Russ Ortiz1.41.6
0.7
1Jason Jennings1.31.30.7
2Jason Jennings1.31.3
0.6
2Russ Ortiz1.41.70.6
3Mike Hampton1.01.0
0.6
3Livan Hernandez1.21.50.5


Pinch Hitter
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Shea Hillenbrand0.80.0
0.8
1Olmedo Saenz1.00.30.8
2Wil Cordero1.20.6
0.7
2Shea Hillenbrand0.80.00.8
3Rob Mackowiak1.10.6
0.6
3Mark P. Johnson0.80.30.6


Pinch Runner
Context-Neutral Context-Dependent
Player eWins eLosses eWOPA Player pWins pLosses pWOPA
1Charles Gipson0.40.1
0.3
1Charles Gipson0.40.10.3
2Rickey Henderson0.30.1
0.3
2Rickey Henderson0.30.10.2
3Luis Ugueto0.50.4
0.1
3Luis Ugueto0.60.30.2


Noteworthy Players of 2002

The best player in major-league baseball in 2002 in the first four tables in this article is the same player who was the best in major-league baseball in 2001 and the same player who would be the best player in major-league baseball in 2003 and 2004. I look at Barry Bonds in a bit more detail in my articles about each of those three seasons.

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling
The top pitcher in each of the first four tables in this article was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But interestingly, it's a different Diamondback pitcher at the top of the pWins tables from the one who's at the top of the eWins tables. Even more interesting, the same was also true in 2001, except the two D-Backs pitchers were reversed.

The next table compares the 2001 and 2002 seasons of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, in and out of context.

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
2001
Randy Johnson
35
19.012.50.6027.8
9.8
18.513.10.5857.19.1
Curt Schilling
35
19.212.40.6078.1
10.1
17.214.40.5444.56.5
 
 
2002
Randy Johnson
35
19.010.50.6439.6
11.5
16.712.80.5655.37.2
Curt Schilling
36
18.113.10.5816.5
8.4
18.013.10.5786.38.2


In 2001, both Johnson and Schilling looked better in context than not. But while Johnson was only about a half-win better in context than out, Schilling was two full wins better in context.

In 2002, the roles were reversed. Curt Schilling's pWins and eWins were virtually identical while Johnson was more than two wins better in context.

The next table, then, compares the career records of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, as measured by Player won-lost records in context (i.e., by pWins).

Randy Johnson Curt Schilling
Season Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL Games pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
1988
41.71.30.5
0.7
40.92.0-1.0-0.9
1989
299.210.3-0.8
0.4
50.30.7-0.4-0.3
1990
3313.912.51.5
3.2
351.62.0-0.4-0.0
1991
3314.013.40.8
2.5
563.74.0-0.50.3
1992
3114.315.6-1.3
0.7
4212.711.12.43.9
1993
3617.011.35.7
7.5
3414.212.82.33.8
1994
2311.28.42.8
4.2
134.45.9-1.2-0.5
1995
3016.47.49.1
10.7
176.26.20.41.2
1996
143.92.61.4
1.9
2811.511.11.42.8
1997
3016.18.47.8
9.4
3517.014.63.55.4
1998
3418.014.93.6
5.8
3517.514.54.36.3
1999
3518.413.36.5
8.3
2412.610.32.94.3
2000
3518.513.46.2
8.1
2913.711.92.84.4
2001
3519.012.57.8
9.8
3519.212.48.110.1
2002
3519.010.59.6
11.5
3618.113.16.58.4
2003
187.57.60.4
1.3
2410.88.33.44.6
2004
3515.212.64.0
5.6
3214.79.05.97.5
2005
3413.111.02.4
4.0
325.75.60.00.9
2006
3311.611.40.5
2.0
3112.19.33.04.4
2007
103.53.50.4
0.8
248.98.01.12.3
2008
3011.511.50.9
2.3
2009
226.87.5-0.3
0.7
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER RECORDS619279.8221.069.5
101.4
571205.8172.844.668.7


American League MVP: Miguel Tejada
The top player in the American League in pWins over either positional average or replacement level in 2002 was the same player who won the 2002 American League MVP award, Miguel Tejada.

Tejada's performance in 2002 was much stronger in context, as measured with pWins than out of context, measured by eWins. While the gap between Tejada's pWins and eWins was most extreme in 2002, it was also somewhat typical of his career.

Miguel Tejada's career record, as measured by Player won-lost records, is shown in the next table.

Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWORL pWOPA eWins eLosses eWORL eWOPA
1997OAK21
26
3.03.00.4
0.1
2.63.4-0.3-0.6
1998OAK22
105
11.613.00.6
-0.7
11.613.00.5-0.7
1999OAK23
159
19.218.13.9
2.1
18.319.02.20.4
2000OAK24
160
21.318.25.9
4.1
20.319.23.92.1
2001OAK25
162
22.518.07.6
5.5
20.819.74.32.1
2002OAK26
162
26.519.010.8
8.4
23.921.65.63.2
2003OAK27
162
24.420.67.0
4.8
23.521.55.23.0
2004BAL28
162
24.821.86.3
4.0
25.221.57.04.7
2005BAL29
162
22.320.94.3
2.4
22.520.74.72.8
2006BAL30
162
20.719.73.6
1.7
21.219.24.72.8
2007BAL31
133
14.317.4-1.2
-2.7
15.516.21.0-0.4
2008HOU32
158
18.220.80.1
-1.7
18.420.60.4-1.3
2009HOU33
158
23.123.12.8
0.7
22.923.32.50.4
34
156
18.120.8-0.6
-2.4
18.820.20.7-1.1
2011SFN35
91
9.69.80.8
-0.1
9.310.10.6-0.4
2012-36
-
---
-
----
2013KCA37
53
4.54.80.3
-0.2
4.45.0-0.1-0.6
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
2,171
284.3269.152.5
26.0
279.1274.242.916.4


In 2002, Miguel Tejada had an overall batting line of .308/.354/.508, an OPS of .861. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Tejada batted .373/.432/.537. In tie games, Tejada batted .345/.409/.567; when the A's were either ahead or behind by 4 runs, Tejada batted .309/.355/.502. Baseball-Reference divides plate appearances into three buckets based on their leverage - high, medium, and low. Tejada's OPS by leverage in 2002 was 1.088/.949/.697 in high/medium/low leverage. Having an OPS .400 higher in high-leverage situations (where Tejada batted .375/.405/.683) than in low-leverage situations (.244/.302/.395) will help contribute to a lot more wins than would be expected based on an aggregate batting line. These contributions are captured by pWins, which tie to team wins by construction.

Tejada's career splits were not nearly as extreme, but nevertheless still show a similar pattern. For his career, Tejada's .791 OPS splits by leverage were .853/.781/.775 high/medium/low.

The next table shows the top 15 players who earned at least half of their Player wins at shortstop, ranked by career pWins over replacement level.

Top Fifteen Shortstops, based on pWORL
Player pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL
Pee Wee Reese299.9239.20.55667.796.4
Derek Jeter367.7323.10.53260.693.7
Cal Ripken382.3351.60.52150.585.1
Barry Larkin291.5249.50.53951.977.9
Arky Vaughan269.3221.60.54951.877.8
Joe Cronin290.0255.10.53241.770.8
Alan Trammell281.6257.90.52242.668.1
Robin Yount366.7345.70.51533.967.8
Ozzie Smith333.3312.50.51637.367.7
Vern Stephens246.7208.60.54240.564.6
Lou Boudreau229.2192.50.54442.264.4
Luke Appling323.8306.50.51423.757.1
Dave Concepcion288.2275.00.51230.157.0
Joe Sewell253.3234.10.52028.453.5
Travis Jackson214.0188.20.53231.752.9
Luis Aparicio329.9328.10.50120.052.9


Francisco Rodriguez
The top player in the 2002 postseason, as measured by pWins over replacement level, was Angels' third baseman Troy Glaus. The best story of the 2002 postseason, however, was Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez.

Francisco Rodriguez made his major-league debut on September 18, 2002, at the age of 20, appearing in 5 regular-season games at the end of the 2002 season. In the 2002 postseason, Rodriguez appeared in 11 games, pitching more than three times as many postseason innings (18.2) as his career regular-season innings to that point (5.2 IP). Rodriguez earned 5 traditional pitcher wins in 11 postseason games. In his 16-year career, Rodriguez had only two seasons (2003, 2011) in which he earned more traditional pitcher wins than he earned in the 2002 postseason.

The next table shows all players who have earned more postseason pWins than regular-season pWins in the season in which they made their major-league debut, for all seasons for which I have calculated Player won-lost records. While relatively rare, this is actually quite a bit more common than I would have guessed.

Regular Season Postseason
Player Season Team pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL pWins pLosses pWOPA pWORL
Melvin Mora1999NYN0.90.80.0
0.1
1.40.60.80.9
Timo Perez2000NYN1.81.30.4
0.6
2.01.30.60.7
Frankie Rodriguez2002ANA0.20.2-0.0
0.0
1.10.80.30.5
David Price2008TBA0.50.40.1
0.2
0.50.20.40.4
Buddy Myer1925WS10.00.00.0
0.0
0.20.30.30.3
Seth Smith2007COL0.20.00.2
0.2
0.40.20.20.3
James McDonald2008LAN0.10.10.0
0.0
0.10.10.00.0
Steve Torrealba2001ATL0.00.2-0.1
-0.1
0.00.00.00.0
Ken Brett1967BOS0.00.0-0.0
-0.0
0.00.00.00.0
Jorge Posada1995NYA0.00.0-0.0
-0.0
0.00.00.00.0
Brandon Finnegan2014KCA0.20.20.1
0.1
0.50.6-0.1-0.0
Jack Sheehan1920BRO0.10.2-0.1
-0.1
0.20.5-0.3-0.3
Hunter Strickland2014SFN0.10.00.1
0.1
0.30.7-0.4-0.3

Notable Debuts
The 2002 season was a pretty good season for the debut of major-league pitchers. The careers of four such pitchers, as measured by Player won-lost records, are shown in the next table.

Career Records of Pitchers Who Debuted in 2002

Games pWins pLosses pWin Pct. pWOPA pWORL eWins eLosses eWin Pct. eWOPA eWORL
Cliff P. Lee
337
134.9116.60.53623.8
39.4
134.9116.60.53624.239.9
Jake Peavy
393
151.1143.70.51316.3
34.5
154.1140.80.52223.341.5
John Lackey
450
169.9159.30.51616.8
38.0
166.9162.30.50710.732.0
Frankie Rodriguez
948
89.757.50.60929.4
45.0
79.667.50.5419.625.2


Last Hurrahs
Finally, 2002 was the final season for one player who has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Tim Raines. The final table of this article presents Tim Raines's career, as measured by Player won-lost records.

Basic Player Won-Lost Records
Value Decomposition
Season Team Age Games pWins pLosses pWORL pWOPA
1979MON19
6
0.20.00.20.2
1980MON20
15
0.41.0-0.5-0.6
1981MON21
88
13.711.03.11.8
1982MON22
156
20.619.51.80.1
1983MON23
156
26.019.76.94.9
1984MON24
160
24.120.34.72.7
1985MON25
150
22.218.74.22.3
1986MON26
151
21.118.73.11.2
1987MON27
139
21.816.26.34.5
1988MON28
109
15.113.22.41.0
1989MON29
145
18.916.72.61.0
1990MON30
130
17.215.52.00.5
1991CHA31
155
17.517.90.7-1.0
1992CHA32
144
20.215.75.74.0
1993CHA33
115
15.112.04.12.7
1994CHA34
100
13.310.93.32.1
1995CHA35
133
14.615.9-0.3-1.9
1996NYA36
59
6.85.81.30.7
1997NYA37
74
8.57.12.11.3
1998NYA38
109
9.07.12.71.7
1999OAK39
58
3.84.9-0.7-1.2
2000-40
-
----
41
51
3.43.20.50.1
2002FLO42
97
1.72.3-0.1-0.4
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
CAREER (reg. season)
2,500
315.4273.356.127.8
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
PostSeason (career)
34
3.74.1-0.2-0.6
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
COMBINED
2,534
319.1277.355.927.3


Article last updated: October 24, 2019

Wins over positional average and replacement level are calculated using data only for the 2002 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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