Total player value around MLB
Basement Dwellers —
... really helped me take my thinking to the next level. If you see differences in our rankings, it's because a) he uses a slightly different base runs model than I do to generate linear weights, and b) his fielding estimates are based on ZR and RZR only, whereas I threw in FSR as well. The biggest discrepancy between his and my datasets is Brandon Phillips, for whatever reason. Here are links to the positions he's covered thus far: First Base, Second Base, Left Field, and Center Field. His blog has really become a great read for general ...
Best Left Fielders of 2008
Beyond the Box Score —
... To help you put the Total Value number in perspective, here are some benchmarks given a full season of playing time:
League-average is about 20 runs above replacement.
The cut-off for true All-Stars is in the 40 run range.
Top 5 MVP candidates are worth at least 70 runs above replacement.
MVP winners have been in the 90-100 run range the past few years.
Without further ado, here are the top ten left fielders of 2008 (2007 numbers here):
10. Jack Cust (40 off, -11 def, 30 tot) -- You want to know why ...
