For context -- an average major leaguer went from first to third on a single 28% of the time; a very good baserunner will go from first to third on a single about 38% of the time; and a very slow runner will do it about 18% of the time.
The Giants went from first to third on a single 82 times in 297 chances for a rate of 27.6%...so they were one base below average.
Now, an average major league player scored from second on a single 58% of the time; a very good baserunner will score from second on a single around 70% of the time; and a very slow runner will score from second around 41% of the time.
The Giants scored from second on a single 100 times in 170 chances for a rate of 58.8%...so they were one base above average.
Lastly, an average major leaguer will score from first on a double 44% of the time; 62% is very good, 27% is very poor.
The Giants scored from first on a double 31 times in 84 chances for a rate of 36.9%...about six bases below average.
A player is credited with a base taken when they advance on a passed ball, a wild pitch, a sac fly, a defensive indifference, or a balk. The Giants had 167 bases taken, which was about six bases below average.
The Giants, meanwhile, were thrown out advancing 25 times -- tied for tenth-best in the majors, and were doubled off 17 times -- tied for the worst mark of any major league team.
In average, a player grounds into a double play (in a double play opportunity) 11% of the time. The Giants grounded into a major-league worst 157 double plays. They had 1135 GIDP opportunities, so that rate comes to about 13.8%, or 32 double plays below average.
Baserunning Gain comprises all of these statistics...it is "the total of all the types of extra baserunning advances minus the (triple) penalty for all the BR Outs compared with what would be expected based on the MLB averages"....BR Outs "include the sum of Outs Advancing, Doubled Offs, and when a runner is tagged out on the bases when another runner moves up on a Wild Pitch, Passed Ball, or scores on a Sacrifice Fly."
The Giants had 43 BR Outs and their BR Gain of -42 was the fifth-worst mark in the majors.
Meanwhile, the Giants had an SB Gain of -9, the absolute worst in the majors. SB Gain is based on the fact that stolen base attempts must be successful greater than about two thirds of the time to have a positive result on the number of runs scored. It is therefore "the number of bases stolen minus two times the number of caught stealing (SB Gain = SB - 2CS)." The Giants stole 53 bases (26 of which were stolen by Andres Torres), and were caught stealing 31 times, so that equates to 53-62 which is equal to -9.
The Giants had an overall net gain (SB Gain + BR Gain) of -51, trailing only the Kansas City Royals as the worst baserunning team.
Some stand-out individual Giants net gains:
- Andres Torres +28
- Nate Schierholtz +13
- Pablo Sandoval -27
- Aubrey Huff +8
- Edgar Renteria, Cody Ross (with Marlins and Giants), and Buster Posey +1
- Bengie Molina (with Giants and Rangers) -13
- Jose Guillen (with Royals and Giants) -25
It seems as though the Giants have moved in the wrong direction in fixing their baserunning problem, as Miguel Tejada had a net gain of -5, a bit worse than Rent's mark of +1. Jason Bartlett, a shortstop that I had wanted the Giants to go after, had a net gain of +21, markedly better.
Again, if you like obscure yet important statistics like this, I highly recommend that you get the Bill James 2011 Handbook.
Again, if you like obscure yet important statistics like this, I highly recommend that you get the Bill James 2011 Handbook.
