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2004 Win Shares Have Arrived

• Win Shares adjusts for contexts. For instance:
  • It adjusts for ballpark and conditions. A run is harder to score in Dodger Stadium than in Coors Field, so hitters receive more credit for what they accomplish in Dodger Stadium.
  
  
  • Fielding stats are adjusted for lefthanded and righthanded pitchers, as well as groundball and flyball pitching staffs. So Win Shares evens out the opportunities presented to fielders on the left side of the field vs. the right side, as well as infielders vs. outfielders.
  
  
• Win Shares measures contribution, not true talent. If a player has a fluky year and hits, say, 50 home runs, he receives full credit for those home runs. The fact that he's never going to do it again doesn't matter.


• Similarly, if a player hits well in the clutch, then Win Shares gives him credit for that, even if hitting in the clutch is not likely to be a consistent skill.


• Ace relievers will receive credit for more Win Shares per inning pitched than a starting pitcher will. That's because the innings an ace reliever pitches (late and close) are more important than most of those pitched by a starter.


• If a player plays for a team that happens to win a lot of games, he generally won't get credit for more Win Shares than if he had played for a lousy team. Win Shares is fair to all players, in that sense.


• Having said that, a player will get credit for more Win Shares if his team happens to exceed its Pythagorean win/loss record. And vice versa.