Story by
What is wRC+? An explainer on one of baseball's advanced metrics and why it's important
- Story by
- What is wRC+? An explainer on one of baseball's advanced metrics and why it's important
The baseball world has undergone a revolution, one that has taken place in the past few decades. It has transformed how many view the game. And while no metric can completely quantify the game as a whole , those in and around baseball now have better ways to break down what's happening and what might happen next.
Advertisement
In addition to batting average, RBIs, pitcher wins and ERA, some advanced metrics — fWAR, wRC+, BABIP, FIP, OOA, wOBA and so many others — give us a more complete picture of what's going on or why something happened. It isn't just to replace the "eye test" or scouting, but it is to be layered on top of everything else, sort of like a blue print.
What is wRC+? An explainer on one of baseball's advanced metrics and why it's important
(akron-beacon-journal)
Youthful Guardians being tested: Guardians know they must 'fight through' tough, tiring stretch
Closing doors: As Guardians scuffle, Emmanuel Clase makes good on team's long-term investment in him
And why is it so important for these metrics to appear in our coverage? That's simple: because teams are using advanced metrics as a part of their decision making , whether it comes to player evaluation as a whole, free agency, trade decisions, the draft, anything and everything.
Advertisement
And since teams have rolled analytical ways of evaluating players into their decision-making, it is imperative that the coverage of those teams reflect that. Otherwise, readers and listeners are being left out on key aspects that determine how teams are operating in this modern age of baseball.
Some readers have sent emails asking for explanations of some of these advanced numbers in an effort to better understand them, so we thought we'd offer some explainers to give extra context. And in the future, whenever these metrics are used in stories, these explainers will be linked and readily available for a refresher.
Here's the primer on Wins Above Replacement .
Up next: wRC+.
Advertisement
What is weighted runs created plus?
Before diving into wRC+ (weighted Runs Created plus), we have to first understand Runs Created. That base metric — Runs Created — aims to estimate a player's total offensive contribution to a lineup and includes factors like a hitter's ability to get on base and hit for extra bases.
Weighted Runs Created Plus is the more detailed version of that. It takes the Runs Created statistic and adds some key factors into the equation, such as the era (trends around the league) or ballpark effects. It's then adjusted so that a wRC+ of 100 represents a league average hitter. A wRC+ of 120 would be 20 percent above league average, and an 80 would be 20 percent below league average.
What wRC+ effectively does is compare hitters as evenly possible.
Advertisement
So for example, if Hitter A and Hitter B have identical stat lines, but Hitter A plays his home games in a hitter's park (such as Coors Field) and Hitter B plays primarily in a pitcher's park, that will be taken into account. It also factors in league trends and that era. For example, the same stat line for a hitter in 1999 (the middle of what is now known as the steroid era, where hitting was king) won't be compared in the same way that a 2001 stat line would be (a year in which pitchers had the upper hand compared to 20 years ago).
It's a solid way to compare position players as hitters, both in the now and in the past.
In a given year, the league leaders in wRC+ — which would represent the best overall hitters — will be about 175 or even higher. In 2019, Mike Trout led MLB with a 177 wRC+, meaning he was 77 percent better than the average hitter. Christian Yelich finished just behind him at 174.
Last year, Bryce Harper paced baseball with a 170 wRC+, edging out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (166) and Juan Soto (163). Also looking at 2021, some of the game's stars — Mookie Betts, Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman — finished between a 131 and 134 wRC+.
Advertisement
In the context of Cleveland, last year Jose Ramirez hit .266 with 36 home runs, 103 RBIs and 111 runs scored and finished with 6.5 fWAR en route to a sixth-place finish in American League MVP voting. He ended the season with a 137 wRC+, meaning he was 37 percent better than the average hitter. Franmil Reyes, who had his season cut short due to injury but hit 30 home runs and drove in 85 runs in 115 games, finished second on the team with a 125 wRC+.
Cesar Hernandez (.256, .307 on-base percentage, 18 home runs, 60 RBIs) was nearly a perfectly average hitter — 101 wRC+ — before being dealt to the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline.
What about this season? Ramirez has posted a 166 wRC+, which has him in the MVP conversation. Andres Gimenez, having a breakout 2022 (.300, .350 OBP, nine home runs, 38 RBIs), has a 139 wRC+, with Josh Naylor right behind him at 137. Reyes has gone the other way from his solid 2021 season, as his struggles have him with a 72 wRC+, indicating he's been 28 percent below league average in 2022.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
Advertisement
Guardians at Royals
Time:4:10 p.m.
TV:Bally Sports Great Lakes
Pitchers:Triston McKenzie (5-6, 3.71) vs. Jonathan Heasley (1-4, 4.76)
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: An explanation of weighted Runs Created plus and why it's important
