Tonight could be Chipper Jones’ last game as a Major League Baseball player. We’ve known for some time that he’ll retire at the end of this season.

I’m torn about this upcoming NL wild card one-game playoff. I threw myself into Cardinal nation last year after the Rays were eliminated but Chipper, well, his name has been known around my house for a loooonnng time. I can thank Grandma Tyson for that. Grandma’s been a Braves fan for at least my 24 years of life and probably came around to them when the Braves came to Atlanta back in 1966.

So back to Chipper. While I’m not the biggest fan of his current facial hair, he may have been my very first baseball crush. For that, and for the career that the 40 year old has had (all 19 season with the Braves!), I present this week’s Designated Hotter: Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones, Jr.

[All photos are from Keith Allison.]

» Continue reading “Designated Hotter: Chipper Jones”

This week, I thought we’d look at some players, and get a feel for the context of their WAR (Wins Above Replacement) totals. I’ll point out some guys who represent both replacement level and average MLB starters, and then next week we’ll delve into some dudes who are elite and some dudes who are black holes.

As I mentioned last week, WAR isn’t intended to pivot around average performance. The average single-season WAR for a big-league (position) starter is around +2. WAR is instead meant to highlight a player’s contributions over a replacement-level player: a marginal bench guy, or a fresh callup from the farm system. These players perform, for the most part, below league average.

So, what does a replacement-level player look like?

There were a few big-league players hovering at or around 0 WAR for the 2011 season. Vladimir Guerrero, in 590 plate appearances as a DH for the Orioles, posted a .290/.317/.416 slash line, good for a 95 wRC+. That’s 5% below average in the offensive production department, totaling out to 0 fWAR, or 0.1 rWAR.

» Continue reading “Alphabet Soup: Replacement Level And Average WAR”

The Phillies remain confidently perched in their throne atop the National League East, but the Mets, Marlins, and Nationals are practically neck-in-neck for the division bronze. Meanwhile, Atlanta is comfortably in second, buffered by several wins in either direction. Rivalries ignite among National League heavyweights, players make big turnarounds, and some come to terms with their off-the-field popularity; read on for more after the jump.

National League East Division Standings via MLB.com

» Continue reading “What Went Down & Who Is Up In The NL East”