WAR doesn’t take those things into account directly, but it does take into account UZR, which is comprised of range and error components. I think you’d agree that someone who doesn’t think quickly on his feet or gets easily flustered would show poor range and commit more errors. So, yeah, his poor defense is reflected by WAR.

Hitting when everyone else does: To me, this is akin to the “clutch skill.” If it were possible to flip some kind of “be better” switch whenever the situation called for it, why wouldn’t all players do it all the time?

Being streaky: The baseball season is a long series of peaks and valleys for every player and every team. And other than the 2011 hitting streak, Uggla’s been a pretty consistent .200 hitter.

Moving runners over: In situations with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 out, Uggla has driven in the runner in 50% of his opportunities. League average is 50%. In situations with a runner on 2nd and 0 out, Uggla has advanced the runner 50% of the time. League average is 56%. Hardly underachieving in those areas.

That’s interesting about players walking more later in their careers. Not sure if it applies in Uggla’s case. He has sustained a pretty high walk rate throughout his career, and his swing rate has been fairly constant as well, hovering around league average.

I promise I’m not trying to convince you that it’s a good contract or that he’s been good by any stretch of the imagination. As I’ve said before, it’s incredibly frustrating to watch him hit .200 and butcher 2nd base. I’m just saying that he does have some value, and that not all of the most common complaints about him are necessarily accurate.

WAR doesn’t include everything that goes into being a baseball player. Does it take into account that in the field, he doesn’t think on his feet quickly and gets easily flustered? Or that these days, he tends to hit when everyone else does? Or that he’s streaky? That he can’t move runners over? I’m glad that you see the weakness of defensive metrics. They’re far from perfect.

I recall Bill James writing a short piece on walk rates. He wrote that players with good discipline will often see their walks go up when their bats slow down. It’s a brief period. They get more tentative and don’t swing as much. They walk more. Then the league figures out that they can be challenged. Meanwhile, the reflexes aren’t getting quicker. And then they’re done. Jimmy Wynn and Jeff Burroughs are good examples. This is happening to Uggla.

Also, WAR includes everything that goes into being a baseball player: hitting, fielding and running the bases. The things that Uggla is especially bad at – hitting for average and playing defense – are both included. But the things that he’s especially good at – hitting for power, getting on base, running the bases (most seasons) – are also included. He also got a boost in WAR last year, both from Fangraphs and B-Ref, because both UZR and Total Zone rated his defense positively. Of course, defensive metrics aren’t perfect yet, and it takes about three seasons worth of data for them to be meaningful, but nonetheless, in 2012 his defense positively affected his WAR. I wouldn’t blame you or anyone for disregarding that added value.

As far as his salary goes, to reference the previous poster, yes it is a tough sell to say he’s worth $13 million a year. And as time goes by, he becomes less and less so. My statement is simply based on looking at the free agent market objectively. On the open market, teams pay an average of about $4.5MM per win. So, Uggla’s 3.3 fWAR last year made him worth approximately $15MM on the open market, or $2MM more than the Braves paid him. Again, I’m not advocating giving $13MM to a guy who bats .200, plays terrible defense and has already entered his decline years. Even the most stats-oriented people HATED the extension at the time it was done. I’m just pointing out that, based on what teams pay for wins on the open market, Uggla has been slightly cheaper than the going rate.

They’re playing at 7pm and I’ve got tickets (plus also for Tuesday) so I’m not complaining.

What I’m confused about is why they’re playing two in Atlanta immediately after when they could just play two more in Toronto!!!

I like WAR. It’s a good measurement of overall value. But it overvalues certain players and Uggla is an excellent example: the things he’s especially bad at aren’t part of the calculation. In any case, as a Brave he has been in the top three in salary among MLB second basement while ranking 11th, 7th, and now 17th in terms of WAR rankings. If you think that’s a good value, I have some condos I’m building up here in Boston that I would be happy to sell to you.

I’ve been a die hard Braves fan since I was old enough to comprehend the sport. To me, though, it’s incomplete without the numbers. They flash on the screen every time a guy comes to bat or every time a new pitcher comes in. And, unlike other sports where most stats evaluate the team’s performance, baseball stats are uniquely tied to the individual. In my younger days, I could list off all the starters’ averages, homers and RBIs and all the pitchers’ wins, losses and ERAs. Now, just because I’m more in tune with a batter’s wOBA or BABIP or wRC+, or a pitcher’s K/BB or FIP, it doesn’t mean that my passion for the sport or for the Braves is any less.

In my ongoing quest (such a lame word choice, but whatever) to learn more about the game and how to evaluate players, I’ve come to appreciate the more advanced metrics over the traditional stats. Through a little bit of my own research, but mostly through reading about the research of people way smarter than me, I believe that these metrics provide a more accurate evaluation of a player and his contribution to his team’s success. I don’t expect everyone to agree with it, and that’s fine.

What frustrates me mostly, going back to my original comment, is just the distortion of facts due to emotion overshadowing objectivity. I am totally cool with anyone’s evaluation of Dan Uggla, but not at the expense of the facts. Regardless of his salary or our expectations of what he should be, his on-base percentage is above league average. He has an OBP, there is a league average OBP, and his OBP is higher than that average. It’s simple. Anyway, thanks for indulging me, and I hope that the stereotype that “saber” guys don’t actually enjoy or watch the game goes away.

PS – Uggla’s striking out at a much higher rate this year than he ever has before.