In week-20 of “MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits,” we rank the top 10 base hits in MLB based on their impact on Weighted Win Probability Added.
In this week’s “MLB Rankings: Baseball’s Greatest Hits,” many view the Los Angeles Dodgers – two-time World Series participants – as the best bet to make an appearance again this season. One reason for that belief is the Dodgers’ uncanny ability to win close games.
During the past week, the Dodgers twice demonstrated that ability, and two of the hits that powered their rallies are included in this week’s list of the week’s 10 most impactful.
Statistically, however, the week’s most impactful hit was authored by a member of a team that isn’t going anywhere. It came off the bat of Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, who on Sunday sank the Miami Marlins with a late home run.
Echoes of the developing pennant race are all over this week’s top 10 list. The Indians and Rays, two of the three teams embroiled in the AL wild-card race, both saw games turn on late, decisive hits. In Chicago, Kris Bryant helped the Cubs brace their suddenly wobbly status in the NL Central with his mid-week rescue of a game against the San Francisco Giants.
This countdown recognizes the 10 most game-critical base hits of the past week. Our measuring stick is Weighted Win Probability Added, which is the percentage improvement in a team’s chances of victory brought about by the hit in question. Where ties exist, they are broken by Weighted Win Expectancy, which is the probability of a team’s winning the game at the conclusion of the play.
Weighted Win Probability Added is one of those so-called New Stats, but it’s based on data that’s been around a while. Simply put, every at-bat improves or harms a team’s chances of winning, depending on the game situation and the at bat’s outcome. A home run hit in the late stages of a tight game is far more susceptible to move the Weighted Win Probability needle than the same home run hit in the early stages of a blowout.
Here are this week’s “MLB Rankings: Baseball’s Greatest Hits”.