Baseball Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+)
Many baseball fans know that certain factors influence a player’s ability to create runs or hit homers, from the size of a baseball park, to the effects of the environment, and everything in between. With that in mind, is it possible to truly get an accurate sense of how one player with many runs compares to another with fewer runs? The Weighted Runs Created Plus statistic (wRC+) attempts to accomplish that. Read on below to find out more about how this stat is used to accurately judge a player’s ability to create runs in comparison to other batters.
Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+)
A batter’s wRC+ statistic takes their number of runs created and applies an adjustment to it in order to account for various factors that may have influenced their ability to create runs. Such factors include the ballparks they played in and the era in which they played.
This statistic attempts to correct for various factors such as power-hitting eras (including the aptly-named Steroids Era) that may have made certain groups of players more likely to create runs than players of other times and places. This allows for a more general standard by which to compare players on run creation.
wRC+ Formula
The formula for calculating wRC+ is:
[((wRAA/PA + League R/PA) + (League R/PA – Park Factor x League R/PA))/ (AL or NL wRC/PA excluding pitchers)] x 100 = wRC+
Example
For example, a pitcher whose home stadium is high-scoring Coors Field will have a lower wRC+ than a pitcher with identical stats who plays their home games at the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum. By quantifying average run production in a time and place, wRC+ helps to evaluate pitchers in different ballparks and eras.
FAQ
What is wRC+ in baseball?
In baseball, wRC+ is a stat that adjusts a pitcher’s allowed runs for factors like home ballpark and era of the game. This stat aims to fairly compare the efficiency of pitchers by factoring in the scoring potential of the ballparks and eras that they played in.
How is wRC+ calculated in baseball?
In baseball, wRC+ is calculated by taking a pitcher’s weighted Runs Above Average (wRAA), adding in ballpark and league factors, and dividing by the league weighted Runs Created (wRC). A wRC+ of 100 represents a league average, and a wRC+ of 150 is 50 percent above league average.
Why is wRC+ useful in baseball?
In baseball, wRC+ is useful for evaluating the effectiveness of pitchers in different times and places. Certain ballparks and eras of baseball have made it easier or harder to score runs on average, and thus other pitcher stats have been skewed by these factors. By weighing these factors, wRC+ attempts to make a fair comparison of pitching skill.