It might not seem like it at first, but baseball is a pretty complex sport. There are a lot of statistics that you can track and follow, which means there’s a lot of information you can learn from the numbers. One of the most popular stats is wRC+, short for “weighted run average,” and it represents how well a hitter performs (on-base plus slugging) compared to a league average hitter.
What does -126 mean in baseball?
It’s one of the most iconic numbers in baseball, representing the combined average of all the years a player had been in the majors before he joined the team. This number is often used to determine when a player’s career is over, as the aging process inevitably catches up to them.
Here’s a quick guide to what -126 means in baseball, and why the number is so important to know.
The Importance Of Age In Baseball
You might think that baseball is pretty easy to understand. After all, it’s just a game of hitting and running, right? Actually, not so much. The rules and strategies of the game can be more complex than you’d think, and there’s a lot that goes into it. One of the most important things to know about baseball is that your age can be a factor in many ways, the most obvious being how you perform on the field.
For example, a 38-year-old can still play in the majors. They might not be as fast as they used to be, or they might not have the raw power that they had at the beginning of their career. But that doesn’t mean that they’re helpless or hopeless, just that they have to adjust their game a little in order to stay in the majors. Another thing that can happen is that a team might decide that it’s time for them to move on, either because they’re no longer useful or because they hurt the team in some way. That’s one of the realities of aging in baseball.
The other end of the spectrum is represented by the kids. Yes, even in 2018 baseball is still very much driven by the traditional seniority-based model, with the older the player, the better. That leads to a lot of really high batting averages and an important consideration for fans and parents when they choose which players to follow.
Why The Averaging System Is Important
There are a lot of things that you need to consider when choosing which hitter to follow. Besides the obvious fact that you want to track a good performer, you want to make sure that the player is going to be competitive for the rest of the season. That means avoiding any slumps and staying consistent, something that can be hard to do when choosing a random hitter to track.
Another important factor is finding a complementary player to track. If you’re trying to choose between the on-base capabilities of Mookie Betts and the power of Nolan Arenado, it’s pretty easy to see which one you want to pick. Both are great hitters, but they’re such extremes that it’s hard to find a middle ground between them, especially since neither one of them is the best at everything.
How To Use The Averaging System To Your Advantage
Now that you’re familiar with the importance of age in baseball, let’s take a quick look at how you can use the information to your advantage. First of all, avoid aging players completely if you can. The fewer the years a hitter has been in the majors, the better, since you can be sure that they’ll stay consistent and healthy for the rest of their career. The only exception to this rule is when you’re sure that the player is going to decline in value, either because of their age or other health problems that might be plaguing them. In that case, it’s probably best to just avoid them and look for a replacement.
The other option is to track aging players and use it as a warning. If you see that a player who is normally worth 8-12 wins is now being paid 14-16 wins, then you know that it’s time to look for a new option. Or, at least, it’s time to check in with the old one and see how he’s doing.
Worth Knowing
You might be thinking that all of this analyzing stats and knowing how and why things work in baseball is a little bit overbearing. What you need is just some fun games and a place to watch them. That’s why we’ve compiled this information guide to educate you about some of the more important numbers in baseball. Learning the language and being able to decipher the numbers can help you have more fun while also being a more informed spectator.