The concept of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) has been around since the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until the 2010s that it became a mainstream statistic in Major League Baseball (MLB). WAR is a statistic that attempts to measure a player’s total value to their team, and it has become one of the most important metrics for evaluating players. But who created it? Here we will explore the history of WAR, who created it, and how it has evolved over time.
Background of Wins Above Replacement
WAR was first developed in 2003 by Voros McCracken, a former player and statistician. He was attempting to find a better way to measure a player’s value to their team and came up with the idea of using a statistic that measured a player’s contributions to their team’s wins. His original version of WAR was called Defense-Independent Pitching Statistics (DIPS) and it focused solely on the pitcher’s ability to prevent runs from scoring.
The Evolution of WAR
Since Voros McCracken first developed WAR in 2003, it has evolved significantly. It has gone from a purely pitching-focused statistic to one that takes into account all aspects of a player’s performance, including hitting, fielding, and base running. This evolution was largely due to the work of Tom Tango, a statistician and author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Tango developed the wins above replacement pitcher (WARP) in 2006 and then expanded it to include all aspects of a player’s performance.
The Impact of WAR
Since WAR was first developed in 2003, it has become one of the most important metrics for evaluating players and teams. It is used by MLB teams to evaluate players and make decisions about signing, trading, and releasing players. It is also used by baseball analysts and fans to compare players and evaluate team performance.
Contributors to WAR
While Voros McCracken was the first to develop WAR, he was not the only one to contribute to its evolution. In addition to Tom Tango, several other statisticians and analysts have played a role in the development of WAR. These include Sean Smith, Mitchel Lichtman, and Dave Studeman, who are all known for their work in sabermetrics.
Sean Smith
Sean Smith is a statistician and author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. He developed the wins above replacement pitcher (WARP) in 2006, which was an improvement on McCracken’s original WAR. Smith also developed the ultimate zone rating (UZR) and the total zone rating (TZR), which measure a player’s defensive performance.
Mitchel Lichtman
Mitchel Lichtman is a sabermetrician and author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. He is best known for developing the ultimate zone rating (UZR), which measures a player’s defensive performance. Lichtman has also been an influential figure in the development of WAR, and he has contributed to its evolution over the years.
Dave Studeman
Dave Studeman is a sabermetrician and author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. He is best known for developing the total zone rating (TZR), which measures a player’s defensive performance. Studeman has also been an influential figure in the development of WAR and has contributed to its evolution over the years.
WAR and Sabermetrics
WAR has become an important part of sabermetrics, which is the scientific study of baseball. Sabermetrics uses advanced statistical analysis to measure a player’s performance and impact on their team. WAR is a key metric of sabermetrics, as it attempts to measure a player’s total value to their team.
Conclusion
WAR is one of the most important metrics for evaluating players in Major League Baseball. While the concept of WAR has been around since the early 2000s, it wasn’t until the 2010s that it became a mainstream statistic. The original version of WAR was developed by Voros McCracken in 2003, but its evolution has been largely due to the work of Tom Tango, Sean Smith, Mitchel Lichtman, and Dave Studeman. WAR has become an important part of sabermetrics, and it is used by MLB teams and analysts to evaluate players and make decisions about signing, trading, and releasing players.