Positional Averages

Jeff, I was curious about how you calculated the averages. I keep my own spreadsheet of league averages and my OBPs are slightly different than yours. I just compile all the stats from ESPN's stat pages and was wondering why that causes mine to be a bit off from your method.

I've been doing something like this for some years now.  I also use the ESPN data, like the commenter above, there is a team data section where you can select by position and I compile the list of NL teams (since I follow the Giants) and create a table for each position showing the production by position for each team.

I figure since data is lumpy, I thought it would be more interesting, like your fellow poster did by comparing projections with the positional averages, to see where each Giants player would have ranked in the previous year ranking if you took out the Giants and inserted in the Giants player for the upcoming season.  From looking at the data that way, sometimes there are positions that are skewing the averages, but by ranking then the player look better, relatively.

I never used public projections before, I would typically use the 3 year average or adjust for what I thought were extenuating factors (like a new player who played at a good or bad hitters park, for example, I would have used his 3 year road rates) and then insert the Giants starter into the ranking again, to see where he would fit in.  So just because Durham had a good year, the Giants would not just keep the same ranking, as his 3 year is lower, so it could go down.

I would get a ranking for each player then average it across the team to see what the average is and then compare them against the year before, to give me some idea how good, relatively, the Giants of the upcoming season is compared to the Giants of the previous season.

I will have to compile all the projections and use them this year instead.