J. D. Martinez challenged the triple crown by mid-September (1st RBI, 2nd homerun, 2nd in batting average). Martinez's triple crown attracted more attention because he was the No. 1 player in the major leagues. The triple crown in front of "True," this record was achieved by only five of the Hall of Fame.
Triple Crown Achievement
1909 - Ty Cobb
1925 - Rogers Hornsby
1934 - Lou Gehrig
1942 - Ted Williams
1956 - Mickey Mantle
Unfortunately Martinez did not get into the realm of legend. It was blocked by Chris Davis and Mukti Betz in home runs and batting average. Martinez was named third overall in the Triple Crown category in five years after Miguel Cabrera in 2013 (Cabrera, No. 2, RBI, RBI). Cabrera won MVP for the second consecutive year, while Martinez did not win three MVP finalists (fourth).
You can not compare two players on the same line. In 2013 Cabrera surpassed the successful triple crown in 2012 (.330 .393 .606 wRC + 166). Unlike Martinez, who did not see much of his defense, he played 145 games at third base (although defensive was terrible with DRS-18). It is hard to put the two players in the same category with only the common point of merely challenging the triple crown.
2013 Cabrera vs. 2018 Martinez
Cabrera: .348 .442 .636 (wRC +) 193
JD: .330 .403 .629 (wRC +) 170
However, it is necessary to reconsider what the player who challenged the integrated triple crown did not reach the final candidate. This confirms that the criteria for evaluating a player has changed from the previous one. The value of the triple crown, which was considered to be an honorable record, will fade.
According to the Dixon Baseball Dictionary, the batting triple crown is batting average / home run / RBI and the pitcher triple crown is a staggering streak / strikeout / average ER. In history, 17 batters and 38 pitchers came out. The reason the batter is less is because it is generally difficult for a home run batter to have the accuracy. The most recent hits are Miguel Cabrera in 2012, and Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander in 2011. Cabrera was a triple-crown hitter in 45 years since Carl Järtemski (Boston) in 1967. Even hitting a triple crown in the National League has not come out for more than 80 years (Joe Medwick in 1937).
In 2012, Cabrera was given a triple crown premium. Cabrera was able to overtake Mike Trawl, but the triple crown was crucial (Cabrera 1st, 22 and 6). What would have been the result if the two players were working this year. We can not guarantee the result, but the gap between the two players will be narrowed down.
2012 Beat Victory Contribution (fWAR) Rank
1. Mike Trave: 10.0
2. Buster Posey: 7.6
3. Andrew McCutcheon: 7.4
4. Robinson Cano: 7.3
5. Miguel Cabrera: 7.2
5. Chase Hedley: 7.2
7. Ryan Bron: 6.8
8. David Wright: 6.6
The major leagues have changed significantly since the baseball team accepted the Saber Metrics. The era of dynamically playing baseball with fighting has been over, and the era of successful baseball has come. It turns out that the blind spots of the records from the past have been revealed one by one.
There is a contradiction in the batting rate that treats the batter and the battle together. The home runs are not fair because of the different environments in each field. RBI is the most valuable hit indicator in contemporary baseball, and conflicts between traditional losers and saber metters occur inevitably. The same goes for the pitcher. The average ER is affected by defense. The strikeout (41207), which surpassed the number of hits (41019) this year, is a bountiful harvest that has been growing for 11 consecutive years. In the past, it became a powerful weapon in the selection of Cy Young.
Do we have to keep these indexes that are becoming increasingly crowded as triple crown items? Or should we make some changes to keep the triple crown honorable?
The earliest alternative is the victory contribution (fWAR). The victory contribution is a popular indicator in the major leagues recently. It is possible to confirm the comprehensive ability of the athlete by reflecting the attack defense line well. In fact, the number of victories contributed to the number one MVP. Betz (10.4) and Christian Yelly (7.6), who are the top contributors to this year's league beast, also won the MVP.
League MVP victory rankings for the last five years
2014 [AL] Trout (1st) [NL] Kershaw (1st)
2015 [AL] Donaldson (2nd) [NL] Harper (1st)
2016 [AL] trout (1st place) [NL] Bryant (1st place)
2017 [AL] Artube (2nd) [NL] Stanton (1st)
2018 [AL] Betts (1st) [NL] Yelitch (1st)
Josie Donelson in 2015 and José Altove in 2017 were among the players who lost MVP to victory. In 2015, Donnelson was the No. 2 player in the tournament (Trawl 9.3, Donaldson 8.7). However, unlike Toronto's advance to the postseason, the Angels hit the 4th in the world.
In 2017, the situation is different. Altobe was blocked by Aaron Jersey (Jersey 8.2, Altove 7.6). By the way, Altove hit the jersey in the Reference Contribution (bWAR) (Alto Vera 8.3, Jersey 8.1).
This is because the indicators used by the two agencies to calculate the victory contribution differ. <Fan Graph> refers to UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) in weighted on-base percentage (wOBA) and defense in batting, but <Reference> refers to DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) in defense without watching woba. The contribution of pitcher victory is also different. <Fan Graph> is based on Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) <Reference> is based on pitcher runner. To distinguish the triple crown item from the victory contribution, it is necessary to equip it from unity (baseball prospectus is also).
Another candidate to replace the existing triple crown item is the Adjusted Scoring Creativity (wRC +), the Net Slug Ratio (ISO), and the Defending Average Fit Points (FIP). Adjusted average ER and adjusted ops adjusted for arena and league levels are also a better choice for equity. But this also seems to be hard to get everyone's consent. Even if it is complementary, there is no perfect indicator without loopholes. Meanwhile, the number of players who have topped the overall victory contribution / adjusted scoring creativity / net slugging percentage has come out six times since 2000.
fWAR / wRC + / ISO 1st place (after 2000)
2001 - Barry Bonds (12.5 / 235 / 0.536)
2002 - Barry Bonds (12.7 / 244 / 0.429)
2003 - Barry Bonds (10.2 / 212 / 0.408)
2004 - Barry Bonds (11.9 / 233 / 0.450)
2008 - Albert Pujols (8.7 / 184 / 0.296)
2015 - Bryce Harper (9.3 / 197 / 0.319)
Baseball is changing. The victim who has already lost status will be buried further if the opener comes up. Now that more reasonable indicators have emerged, is it right to inherit the triple crown of the past? You have to realize that an unacceptable queue eventually has no meaning.
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