MLB Dirt

The Wins Above Replacement (WAR) statistic has become one of the most popular sabermetrics out there and it is constantly being used more and more. It is one of my favorite stats to use, as it works great to project and compare players. A replacement level player is typically viewed as a fill in player for a starter in case of injuries, slumps, or anything along those lines. Albert Pujols had a WAR of 7.3 last year which means he was worth 7.3 wins above a replacement level player. Well what exactly is a zero WAR player? Looking up front at the stat, this kind of player was worth zero wins. They did not help or hurt their team.

To get a better grasp of what a zero WAR player is, I have put together a list of all the zero WAR players from the last 5 years with more than 300 plate appearances and included some of their other stats. (The UZR statistic is for the position that they played the most at that year)

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

As we look at all of those zero WAR players over the last 5 years, there is an interesting mix of players. We have veterans well past their prime; young players beginning to emerge; journeymen playing wherever they are needed; and stars in a slumping season. One thing that caught my eye was that a large majority of these players played with two teams in those zero WAR seasons.

Looking at these players stats, you don’t get much out of a zero WAR player. If they are a decent fielder, then they seem to struggle offensively and vice-versa. It’s weird to think that these players did not help their team at all when looking at the stat. You would think there would be a better option than these players that don’t do much for the team.

Filed under: Digging Deep - Analysis Tagged: | Aaron Miles, Adam Lind, Alex Cora, Alfonso Soriano, Brian Anderson, Carl Everett, Carlos Quentin, Cesar Izturis, Chone Figgins, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Joey Gathright, Jorge Cantu, Juan Pierre, Michael Barrett, Michael Tucker, Mike Jacobs, Mike Piazza, Omar Infante, Paul Bako, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Theriot, Scott Podsednik, Vernon Wells, Willie Bloomquist, Wily Mo Pena