Perception Become Reality

by Lucas on Jul 1, 2005 1:33 PM CDT in News

The casual Ranger fan would probably describe 2004's surprising squad as a combination of good hitting and bad pitching, when in fact the opposite was the truth. Last year's bunch slugged with authority but had difficulty getting on base. The bullpen dominated and the rotation, cobbled together though it was, didn't perform that much below the league average.

In 2005, the team has changed to meet perceptions:

Team OPS+:
2004- 94
2005- 108

Team ERA+:
2004- 111
2005- 91

Note to the uninitiated: statistical terms appended with "+" are indexes that measure performance adjusted for league and home park. Higher scores indicate a better performance, and 100 is average.

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Thank you

for setting the record straight.
The bull pen's performance last season was inspiring, and the inability of Ranger hitters, at times, to become base runners was infuriating.
The Rangers need to avenge themselves this year for the 4 game sweep dealt by the Orioles.
As Rangers fans we still have more to look forward to than we have to regret in this season.

"El Jimador goes down smooth and easy, just like the Rangers in June." Scott Lucas

by Iaanmte on Jul 1, 2005 2:09 PM CDT reply actions

Good numbers

Interestingly, if you average the hitting and pitching for each season, 102.5 and 99.5, a slightly above average team and right at an average team. And that's what they've had.

by Brett Perryman on Jul 1, 2005 3:29 PM CDT reply actions

i don't understand

the value of taking away park effects, at least in this case. if the idea is to figure out what team is better head to head on neutral ground, it makes sense. but if i'm trying to figure out how the rangers will finish if on the same pace, i want ot know how they've been doing, ameriquest and all, since half of their games are played there.

right?

by ab03 on Jul 1, 2005 4:13 PM CDT reply actions

Here's why:

Stats like ERA+ adjust not only for league and park but also for year. It's not enough to say (for example) that the Rangers are scoring the same number of runs as last year, because scoring is down about one-quarter run per game in the AL this season. So, a team that is scoring five runs per game this year is actually performing better than one that scored 5 runs/game last year, other factors being equal.

by Lucas on Jul 1, 2005 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions